I grew up on the water in Monterey, California, with my twelve siblings, and it was only natural for me to take up fishing when I was a kid. Saltwater fishing was my passion growing up – to the point where I would watch the daily tide reports. With my love of the water and being from a military family, I decided to join the U.S. Navy.
After serving 20 years in the Navy as a submariner, I retired to Colorado in 2002. With my passion for fishing still in me, I started regular spin fishing in Colorado rivers and lakes. A good friend and fellow Veteran introduced me to fly fishing 15 years ago, and he was actively involved with an organization called Project Healing Waters.
Project Healing Waters was created in 2005 at Walter Reed Medical Center by a Navy Captain who had developed a passion for fly fishing in 1982 after Naval Training in the Pacific Northwest’s Snake River. During his stay at Walter Reed, he saw firsthand the returning wounded from Iraq (and later Afghanistan), and it was this witnessing, combined with his own experience, which inspired him to create the opportunity for Veterans to heal their trauma through fly fishing.
When I first joined Project Healing Waters in 2011, I really didn’t know what to expect. I started off slow as a participant and learned many skills from the chapter’s mentors, including how to build my own fly rod. During the first three years of my involvement, I witnessed firsthand the extent to which the program helped Veterans with all disabilities. Each Veteran has a different story, but I often hear how the organization has saved lives. Members include Veterans who served all the way back to the Vietnam War. Out of all the leading disabilities the organization has helped, veterans with post-traumatic stress are the most common.
After three years with the organization and achieving a level of comfort with my fly-fishing skills, I needed to take it to the next level. I knew I could be a mentor and help Veterans in a unique way by adapting my life-long passion for fishing to help create a protected space for Veterans where I could really listen to them and hear their stories in a completely nonjudgmental way. I was able to apply my combined strengths to help those in the program who needed it the most.
After qualifying as a mentor, trip lead, fly rod building assistant, and volunteering for 1:1 Take-Vet Fishing (TAV) events, I have completed what I initially set out to do: help Veterans heal through fly fishing. For the past 15+ years, I have had the opportunity to build many relationships with veterans across all services. My favorite and most enjoyable time is when I have an opportunity to help Veterans catch their first fish on the fly rod they have built themselves.
At the Denver chapter, we provide all activities and resources that prepare participants for every element of their experience with Project Healing Waters. All resources are free to all Active Duty and Veterans, including fishing trips, casting, and rigging classes, fly tying classes, Veterans Administration outreach, mentor training, and a First Aid, CPR, and AED Course. The Fly Rod Building course teaches Veterans to build a fly rod in three weeks, which they use upon completing the course. River 101 teaches Veterans the basics right on the water, including what to expect when fishing in a river and how to enter and exit safely.
Day and overnight fishing trips are some of the favorite activities for Veterans—they can experience the river in the most beautiful areas of Colorado. During these trips, the Veteran pairs with a mentor for the day and learns all the basics of fly fishing. It is during this time that the Veteran heals the most because they can focus solely on being on the river in nature, and all the other things just go by the wayside.
Since becoming involved with the Parsons MILVET program and my work with Project Healing Waters, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with the Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS) in Denver. Parsons has supported TAPS as a mission partner for more than 20 years.
In May 2024, we even recorded an interview with myself and Justin Parsons (Project Healing Waters participant and a Parsons employee) during a Take a Vet Fishing outing (posted on our Parsons MILVET YouTube playlist). I am proud of the support that Parsons provides to its Veterans and honored to partner with MILVET to share the mission of Project Healing Waters to reach as many Veterans as possible.
We perform outreach at chapters across the country in addition to established locations in Department of Defense Hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Clinics. In 2023, the organization helped 6,056 participants from all service eras and branches, aided by the commitment of 6,458 active volunteers.
I continue to support Project Healing Waters because of what the organization represents: a space for service members and Veterans to receive the deserved opportunity to help heal. Whether it’s being out on the river and focusing solely on fishing or participating in the organization’s other programs – through Project Healing Waters, the opportunity will always be there for them.