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Thursday, January 03, 2008

Wounded soldiers deserve a fishing license break

By Bill Cochran

People kept telling Capt. Eivind Forseth that he should go fishing, that it would do him a world of good, but he wasn’t keen on the idea.

He had grown up in Montana where he enjoyed fly fishing and other outdoor pursuits; however, those days appeared to be over when an IED hit the 82nd Airborne Division convoy he was leading in Iraq. The explosion ripped into his side, leaving his right hand paralyzed and his right elbow with limited use.

At Walter Reed Medical Center, the pain was followed by anger and depression.

Then he met Ed Nicholson, an avid fly angler and retired Navy captain, who has a deep compassion for the young men and women who have given so much for their country.

While walking the halls of Walter Reed, Nicholson had seen many wounded soldiers who, like Forseth, needed healing. What better physical and mental therapy, he thought, than getting them interested in fly fishing. Three years ago, he founded a new program, called Project Healing Waters, that does just that.

With encouragement from Nicholson, not to mention prodding from his mother and commanding officer, Forseth went fishing.

“It brought me back from a really deep, dark place,” he is quoted on the Project Healing Waters Web site. Forseth now assists other wounded soldiers as a board member of the program.

Project Healing Waters is heavily rooted in Virginia. Its headquarters are in McLean. Many of its sponsors are Virginia-based businesses, corporations and individuals. Some of its fishing events are held in Virginia, including one last year on Rose River Farm in Madison County.

The concept has been spreading to other veterans facilities and military hospitals, including McQuire Veteran’s Hospital in Richmond. At this facility, an angling club, the Fly Fisheries of Virginia, has been teaching fly casting and taking participants fishing.

One of the volunteer instructors is Dan Genest, an avid fly angler who works for Dominion in Richmond. Genest noted the program has a major drawback in that participants who would like to give fly fishing a shot must purchase a state fishing license. If they fish stocked trout water they also must have a trout license.

“It seems that the way the Virginia Code currently reads, the DGIF director can issue a waiver that allows for veterans groups to go fishing, but it is a rather cumbersome process and specifically excludes fishing in stocked trout waters,” said Genest.

He would like to see the process simplified to allow participants of programs like Project Healing Waters to fish without a license. Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, has agreed to introduce legislation to accomplish this in the 2008 Virginia General Assembly. About 30 legislators have signed on as co-sponsors.

“This is a pretty good response,” said Genest. “Still, we are continuing our push to get even more.”

I told Genest that I am hardnosed when it comes to giving away licenses. It appears that just about every General Assembly session someone come along with a bill that would provide free fishing or hunting license for a certain segment of society. This leaves an increasingly smaller group to pay the bills.

But Genest has my support on this one. The cost of a fishing license should not be a stumbling block for a would-be participant who has given so much for his or her country.

Genest said we aren’t talking about large numbers of free licenses, and the exemptions would be short-termed.

“Once they leave the hospital, we hope they will go out and buy a license and continue to improve as fly fishermen,” he said.

Back at Walter Reed, Nicholson has firmed up another Rose River outing in early May. In the planning stages is a shad fishing trip on the James River at Richmond, which will include Hunter McGuire patients, and outings on Mossy Creek and Thornton River.

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