Many fishermen will tell you there is nothing quite so wonderful as a peaceful day with a rod and reel in hand as you cast your line into cool, clear waters. Whether standing on the bank of a river or floating along in a boat, many of those who enjoy fishing find the experience cathartic.
For some, the adventure can be therapeutic in more ways than one.
The Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program based out of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Mountain Home works with disabled active military personnel and disabled veterans by teaching them the art of fly fishing while giving them the chance to fellowship with their brothers and sisters in arms.
As part of the program the participants learn how to build a fly rod as well as the art of tying flies. Participants, many of whom live in the domiciliary at the VA Medical Center, can practice the basics of fly fishing at the pond located on the campus at Mountain Home. The program also takes participants out on excursions to local water ways where they can spend time casting lines with friends and comrades.
The program provides not only physical rehabilitation, but emotional rehabilitation as well according to Russ Ambrose, the program lead for the Project Healing Waters program at Mountain Home.
Building the rods, tying flies and fishing help to rehabilitate the body, but the fellowship with their fellow soldiers helps to heal the spirit, Ambrose said. And, that benefit goes both ways as may of the volunteers feel they benefit from the time spent helping those in the program.
“You go to give, but you end up getting back,” Ambrose said.
And Ambrose knows the benefits of the Project Healing Waters program first hand. A disabled veteran himself, Ambrose came into the program around five years ago. He enjoyed it so much he decided to volunteer and eventually took on the role of program lead. He is a retired technical sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and a veteran of Desert Storm.
Staying with the program after completion is not uncommon, Ambrose said.
“A lot of veterans who go through turn around and volunteer,” he said.
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is a national non-profit organization, It was founded in 2005 at Walter Read Army Medical Hospital as a way to serve wounded military service members returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, the program has expanded nationwide, establishing itself Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and clinics.
The Mountain Home program is one of 212 operational programs providing services to disabled military personnel and disabled veterans from all 50 states and Germany. Each program is managed at the local level by volunteers who work with Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, Department of Defense military installations, Warrior Transition Unites and other institutions.
Because it is a non-profit, Project Healing Waters relies on the generosity of private and corporate donors in order to operate.
The annual budget for the Mountain Home program, which began about nine years ago, is around $10,000 and all of that funding goes into equipment to benefit the program’s participants.
“Our program is so big we use a lot of supplies,” Ambrose said. “We ran an average of 60 veterans through our program last year.”
Veterans of all ages — both men and women — are welcome in the program.
“We’ve got veterans in the program from Vietnam through present,” Ambrose said.
The program provides basic fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying and rod building classes, along with clinics to participants. The program works with participants with skills ranging from beginners who have never fished before, to those with prior fly fishing and tying experience who are adapting their skills to their new abilities. All fly fishing and tying equipment is provided to the participants at no cost. Fishing trips, both one day and multi-day, are also provided free of charge to participants.
Several area fishing guides volunteer their time and talent to take the veterans on outings, which Ambrose said greatly helps the program when it comes to expenses.
The local program is always looking for financial contributions as well as donations of supplies services so that it can continue to serve area veterans and service members who are in need of what the program offers. Because the program is a registered non-profit, Ambrose said he can provide tax forms to those making contributions — whether financial or “in kind” — so they can deduct it from their taxes.
Ambrose said the program accepts donations of used fishing equipment — everything from rods, reels and fly tying supplies to waders and tackle boxes — as long as it is still in good working order.
As the program grows, Ambrose said there is an increasing need for guides to assist with taking participants on trips.
The Mountain Home program meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Domiciliary at the VA. All service members and veterans are welcome, but Ambrose said priority is given to those who have a disability rating through the VA. “It doesn’t have to be combat related,” he added.
For more information on the local program or to make a donation of any kind, contact Russ Ambrose at 423-525-3325. For more information on the national Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing organization, visit their website at www.projectjealingwaters.org.