Fishing brings Veterans together
BLOOMFIELD -- As conservation agents stood by to lend a hand, James Smith had his hands full. The channel catfish he was fighting was winning the battle between them, and ultimately, it broke his line.
“I saw my cork go under water and I set the hook,” Smith, a U.S. Navy Veteran, says. “When he got up close, I knew I should back off on the drag, but I pulled, and the darn thing broke off. He fought harder than I did and broke the line.”
Still, he was all smiles.
Smith and about 60 other southeast Missouri Veterans, including a dozen associated with the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, took part recently in a Veterans’ fishing event and fish fry at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield.
“We want them to have a day of fishing and a good ‘ol fish fry,” says Tony Curran, commander of the American Legion Post 59 in Dexter, who organizes the event. “Our post has always tried to do some things with the disabled vets, and we’ve been doing this now for seven years. We do it twice a year, and it’s gone well.”
The events haven’t been held the last two years due to COVID-19, but Curran was happy to start them again.
“Everybody seems to be catching fish and having a good time,” he says, noting the “bottom line is we want them to be happy when they leave and say they had a great time and ate their fill.
The fishing event is exactly what Lee Willard, peer support specialist at the John J. Pershing VA Medical center, and his co-worker, Wesley Gautreaux, mental health social worker, were looking for as a way for Veterans to get outside and come together.
“Wes and I talked about taking a few veterans fishing and things like that. We actually called a few places, and I knew that Voluntary Services had taken Veterans here before, so we came up here and talked to the director,” Willard recalls. “It kind of worked out.”
Several staff from the VA facility, including those who work with at-risk patients, assisted with the event.
“When they’re able to get together with other Veterans from southeast Missouri, it’s really cool just to see them interacting with each other,” Willard says. “It’s cool to get out here and be a part of this. It’s pretty humbling.”
The event, he says, offered many Veterans their first opportunity to do something together since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
“It’s a huge deal to them,” Willard explained. “When COVID hit, a lot of these Veterans were really isolated. They have a common bond of serving and getting them out together to socialize and bond is very paramount, not just for their physical health, but their mental health as well.”
Ron Suter, an Army Veteran who served in the Korean War, enjoyed the camaraderie.
“I think this is really cool, and it’s good to get out and breathe some fresh air,” the 91-year-old said as he cast a spinnerbait into the water. “This is great for us ex-GIs to get together and tell stories … I’ve got a lot of stories I tell. And it beats sitting on the couch watching television.”
Moments later, Suter fought and landed a 13-inch largemouth bass.
“This is unbelievable,” he said as he held the fish up for a photograph.
Roy Cox, a Veteran of the U.S. Marines from 1977 to 1979, has lived in the Poplar Bluff area less than a year and admittedly doesn’t know many locals yet, but has high praise for the event.
“I think this is amazingly good. I love it,” he says. “Any time an event involves Veterans is great.”
While he managed to catch two channel catfish and a few sunfish, that wasn’t as important to Cox as just being there.
“It wouldn’t even have mattered if I didn’t catch anything. It still brings me out here,” he says.
After a few hours of fishing, each Veteran and volunteer was treated to a fish fry, compliments of American Legion Post 59 and local donors.
A fall event is in the works, Curran says, but a date hasn’t been set.
Willard is looking forward to it after seeing the spring event’s effects on the Veterans he serves.
“I think the Veterans had an amazing time,” he says. “To be able to get these Veterans outside and among others like themselves brings out the best in them. It brings out their pride of service, which is so cool to see. Watching Mr. Suter sit with another Korean War Veteran and talk was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had working in this position.”
“We will stay in touch with Bloomfield Veterans Cemetery about any upcoming fishing outings and plan to make it a regular trip for our Veterans.”