Wounded Veterans Event at
Horseshoe Bar Preserve...
Horseshoe Bar Preserve was
proud to host wounded veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
on October 28 - 30, 2009.
Many volunteers from the local flyfishing community as well as the
Foresthill American Legion
and Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters,
Tenkara Rods, Granite Bay Flycasters, fly fishing guide Bill Carnazzo,
Orvis, REI and many others all pitched in to make this a meaningful
tribute to these veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.
Click
here
to link to the Picasa website and see all the pictures that were taken by Daniel of
Tenkara Rods. I know this will have deep meaning to those that
participated in the event. Thank you all for helping make it happen ~
Tom Bartos
Local Community Helps Wounded Veterans
Many
soldiers return from combat tours with injuries both physical and
psychological. Our society and the Veterans Administration have made
great strides with helping the returning veterans in their healing
process. Communities and their residents often want to somehow
contribute to the veterans’ recovery process and at the same time say
“Thank you for your service”. However, the way to do so is not always
clear or easy. One local community member found a way to directly
connect with and help local injured veterans.
Granite Bay resident Tom Bartos runs Horseshoe Bar Fish &
Game Preserve, Inc.; a 50,000 acre private preserve located on five
miles of the Middle Fork on the American River outside of Foresthill,
Ca.
Teaming up with Nick Strelchuk of Reel Life
Recoveries, a program designed to work with disabled veterans, he
planned a 3 day retreat for the veterans. Activities included fly
casting instruction, fly tying, and fly fishing on the Preserve’s
private club waters. As an added bonus, gold panning was offered and
turned out to be a popular event with the veterans, especially when they
began to discover some real gold in the bottom of their pans.
Camping in a
secluded area next to the river for 3 days all supplies were onsite.
Five veterans came from the Roseville area and 2 drove up from the Bay
area. All the men had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, or
Somalia. One had been to all 4 areas.
Night time
temperatures dropped into the low thirties, which made for late night
group conversations around the ever burning camp fire. The river,
beautiful mountains and “mother nature” worked their magic on the
veterans and before long laughter replaced the stress and anxiety caused
by injuries and the experience of combat.
The group of young
men had high praise for the event, some saying that it was the first
time they had been able to connect with other veterans in such a
beautiful, peaceful place. They sensed the support and caring from the
community members, reconnected with the outdoors and learned the new
skill of fly fishing, which will draw them back to a nearby river or
lake for some solitude and healing.
Certainly the
relief offered was short in duration, but still extremely beneficial to
the veterans. Nick Strelchuk says “The Veterans Administration
recognizes the value of such outings for veterans, especially those
suffering from PTSD. They enthusiastically support such events.”
The event would
not have been possible without the hard work and generous support and
contributions from local businesses, Foresthill American Legion and VFW
organizations, and the members of Horseshoe Bar Preserve and Granite Bay
Flycasters. Thank you all!
Tom Bartos plans to host a similar event next
year. Anyone interested in learning more about and helping in this
wonderful community event should contact him at:
hbp@surewest.net
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