By Brent Fewell
Attended an awesomely moving tribute last evening to our Nation’s veterans. This marks the third year that Trout Unlimited has held an annual dinner, A Salute to Service, in honor of our Nation’s wounded warriors. These courageous men and women have returned home after fighting for our freedoms and bear not only the physical scars of war, but often the deep psychological and emotional wounds that can have such profound impacts on these veterans and their families. It truly is heartwarming to see how they have been embraced by the conservation community in helping them return to physical, spiritual and emotional health.
Alan Folger, Director of TU’s veterans service program, and himself a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War, talked about the talismanic, healing power of getting out on a stream and experiencing the joy of a rising trout on a fly. You can learn more about TU’s and Alan’s efforts here in a great video. This program to help our wounded and recovering warriors is truly emblematic of those “Little Platoons for Conservation” . . . and is helping to restore a beautiful ethic of conservation and community across America that is so desperately needed during this era of political dysfunction.
Proud to be associated with United Water, and other great organizations like, Newmont Mining (Mary Beth Donnelly), Freeport-McMoran (Russell King), Telos Corp. (John Wood), The Middle River Group (Tom Sadler), The Livingston Group (Mark Rey), Forbes Tate (George Cooper), Cassidy and Associated (Kai Anderson), who helped support and underwrite last evening’s event.