Fishing with the Veterans Kent Lake

[dartag]

What an event.  Fished with a young lady who had lost a leg from and RPG strike.  Her attitude excepting what had happened was amazing. When she told me the story I had goose bumps for 20 minutes. I told here our goal was to catch a keeper so she could walk across the stage.   She had fished before and knew how to use a spinning rod.  The lake had been sprayed so my normal spots we bare.  We finally found some fish and she caught the first keeper.  We caught lots of shorts and ended up with a limit that went 10.45.     At the weigh you drove through a line of people holding american flags.  They would salute her as we drove by. 

This was an amazing and very humbling event.  Knowing what these people went through protecting our freedom.

Thanks to the crew who worked at this event.  They had people to launch your boat and drive it away when you were on the stage.  Food and drinks at the end was tasty.



Steve Smith
Commerce, Mi.

[Mcfish]

Great job!  Do you know of a link or website with pics of the event? 

I can't imagine how traumatic her experiences must have been.  Strong girl indeed.

[TimH]

with this being the first year owning a bass boat, I was finally able to participate in this event.  What an experience.  I was paired with a gentleman who is still currently serving after 22 years in the service.  His stories were amazing.  The morning started slow, but we ended up with four.  I didn't care if I caught any, but I wanted the veteran to catch at least one.  I caught the first two and with out the veterans quick actions with the net, both might not have made it in the boat due to being barley hooked. I was getting nervous that the day would end without the veteran catching anything, but on our second to last spot he caught a keeper largemouth.  We ended the day with four fish, and all of them were truly a team effort.
This was by far one of the best experiences I have had.  Thank you to all who planned, fished, and supported this event.  A special thank you goes out to Major Rick Briggs (USAF retired) who is now the Brain Injury Association of Michigan Veterans Program coordinator.  Major Briggs is an amazing guy who does some much good for active duty and veterans.
On a similar note, stay tuned for information about a charity bass tournament I am planning in September.  100% of the proceeds go to support Camp Liberty, which is a program near Jackson that provides outdoor opportunity for veterans that are struggling with injury, PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and or re-intergrating back into civilian life.

[djkimmel]

Major Briggs does get around. He spoke at the NRC meeting Thursday about some hunting accessibility changes being proposed.

[BNL]

Thanks to those who fished with the veterans!  I really enjoy the inspiring stories. And a big thanks to any veterans who read this website.

Definitely inspiring me to want to participate in future events.

Great job by everyone and thanks for positing about the event.