Early last Saturday, a group of fishermen gathered at the Hopewell marina to do what they do almost every weekend: search for monster blue catfish.
But this outing was different. Big cat anglers such as Earl Phillips wouldn't wet a single line for themselves.Phillips and a host of other local cat fishermen were there to offer the experience of hauling in a 50-pound beast, or cruising the James River near Presquile National Wildlife Refuge or just generally talking fishing to a group of wounded veterans who might not otherwise get such opportunities.
Take Jason Scarborough, a member of the Kentucky National Guard. He was badly injured in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device. He suffered severe whiplash. He now has memory loss and walks with the aid of a crutch.
"It shocked me," he said, of hearing about the trip. "I never heard of fishing in November."
Scarborough caught one of the bigger specimens on the day -- a 48-pound blue cat south of Jordan Point. But for him, the highlight was getting out of McGuire VA hospital and "meeting people who are willing to spend time with wounded soldiers."
Statements like that are music to Phillips' ears.
"The number one [goal] is getting the guys out on the water, fishing, saying 'Hey, you can still do this. The only limitation you have is in your mind.'" he said. "The other thing we're trying to do is build the friendships. If two guys stay close that fished today, then we've accomplished what we want. The third thing we're trying to do is show them our appreciation."
Phillips and Jim Pauley own Master Catters, an online forum for cat-fishermen and a clearinghouse for related subjects. They started putting the event together at the suggestion of an online member. As soon as they broached the subject on their Web site,
www.mastercaters.com, they had numerous offers of help from other fishermen.
"We have more boats here than veterans," Bruce Conner said before shoving off Saturday morning. Conner was one of many who put in countless hours to make the day a memorable one for the injured servicemen. He spent all day Friday fishing for the shad that was used as bait.
It was bitter cold Saturday morning, especially on the water, but that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the veterans or the catfishermen chauffeuring them around. They fished all day, then came back to the marina for a barbecue dinner.
Phillips said this year's event came together at the last minute. He already is working on next year's and how to expand it. In addition to including more veterans -- this year there were about two dozen from places such as McGuire VA Medical Center, Fort Lee and Fort Eustis -- Phillips said there's talk of Hopewell holding a wounded veterans parade to coincide with the event. He also wants to do it in October, when it's warmer and won't interfere with hunting season.
Captain David Payne blew out one of his knees during a live-fire exercise at Fort Riley Kansas a little more than a year ago. He was scheduled to leave for Iraq three weeks before the injury. Now, he works at Fort Lee with the base's transition unit, caring for wounded warriors who are transitioning either within the Army or moving on to a job in the civilian world.
He sees the impact events such as these can have in the lives of wounded veterans.
"I think it's fantastic, because it shows soldiers that it's more than just lip service," said Payne, 40. "Sometimes, soldiers will talk about seeing bumper stickers, 'Support the Troops.' Sometimes, you see that when a person is cutting you off in traffic. You wonder how much they support the troops.
"What these people did on Saturday was really commendable."
As more soldiers come back from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental and physical barriers to returning to normal civilian lives, events like these are proliferating. In Richmond, for instance, the Fly Fishers of Virginia have volunteered their time at McGuire, teaching wounded servicemen and women the nuances of fly-tying and fly-casting, as well as taking them fishing.
Platoon Sergeant Steven Moore, who works with Payne at Fort Lee, summed up the importance of these events.
"A couple of the guys I talked to said it actually kind of helps them to get themselves back into the normal stream of society in the United States," he said. "We've just got to get them back out there so they feel comfortable again."
