“Fishing is a solace…the opposite of war…
a gentle, and healing occupation.”
- Luis Marden, National Geographic Legend,
Rod Builder and Fly Fisherman

I didn’t know I was going to fall in love.

Several years ago I read an article written by John Baden for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. In it, John talked about a program developed specifically to help veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to heal and rehabilitate by taking them fly fishing. I remember thinking “I bet they’d like to get some non-clinical, caring touch as well.” Somehow I got in touch with the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation and was put on a list of volunteers. Soon after, I was contacted by Colonel Eric Hastings, US Marines (Ret.) to come to a home where the Warriors were staying to do some chair massage for the six men there.

I went. Boy, were they injured. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). A missing arm, terrifically injured legs, back injuries. Most wanted a massage, most wanted me to return the next night, and I did. From then on, I have been a passionate supporter of Warriors and Quiet Waters.

From the website: “Every summer we bring six groups of Wounded Warriors to Bozeman, May through October, for six days of fly fishing and therapeutic recreation which we refer to as an FX (short for fishing experience). We start by outfitting them with everything that they need to fly fish for the rest of their lives. We host them in a family setting, housing them all together. Our usual trip consists of arrival day, Fishing 101, a fishing day, a guided trip through Yellowstone Park, a fishing day, and a farewell dinner. We then say a fond farewell and send them back to the hospital or Wounded Warrior battalion.”

But it’s so much more than that. The warriors are not simply shown a good time; they’re given the means to reconnect with life. If you could witness the transformation I see over a two-to-three day period you would perhaps understand what a powerful, effective program it is. Time after time, I’ve heard the Warriors say how this particular program, out of the many they have been party to, is above and beyond any they’ve experienced.

Maybe it’s the people of Montana. Sponsors, affiliates, volunteers and donors abound in this area. Among them are five local fly shops, professional fishing guides, equipment companies, “Moms” who feed them and treat them like their own children, restaurants, drivers, companions, the board of directors and miscellaneous people like myself. The warriors are not only treated as returning heroes by Montanans, they are treated as family. Many of the warriors want to come here to college, or just return with their own families. Some do both: as reported previously in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Saul Martinez did just that.

At a recent FX, or Fishing Experience, a young veteran from New York City told us how, although normally a social person before the war, he had been isolating himself in his room at the base for days on end, often not coming out even for meals. He announced to a room full of people that this program helped him to return to himself to such an extent that he felt as though he could live and love again, that he learned there were people out there who loved him and that made life worth living. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Seeing these veterans get teary-eyed makes you realize how far they’ve come in six days, and just how important it is for us as a nation to support our returning veterans.

Warriors and Quiet Waters is also a program for military couples. Once a veteran has gone through an FX, they are invited to bring their spouse for a Couples FX. Many of them have exclaimed to us “This is our honeymoon – we didn’t have one when we got married,” or “This is our first time away from the kids by ourselves.” Hearing things like that brings home the realization of how military families are often separated from their nuclear families, from each other as spouses and from their children. Add PTSD and physical injuries on top of that, and you can see how many of the veterans consider their spouses and families as warriors, and how they too need our support.

On a personal level, it is an utter privilege to work with the warriors. I’ve been hugged by veterans whom I thought too damaged to ever want to be touched. I’ve been trusted with stories and the treatment of injuries I never would have dreamed of, and I am honored by that trust. Amazing transformations happen through the efforts of the men and women of the Warriors and Quiet Waters program, and they inspire me to continue to volunteer. Donating my time and efforts my small way of saying “Thank you for keeping me fat, happy and free in the United States.” Sometimes I wonder if I don’t get as much out of it as the warriors do.

For more, please visit Warriors and Quiet Waters. Watch the seventeen-minute documentary “The Journey Home,” winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2010 Ashville N.C. Hatch Film Festival. Look at the photos and stories. Check out the affiliates page and patronize those businesses; donate and volunteer. Show the men and women of the U.S. armed forces that we the people honor them and their sacrifices.

Stacey Alzheimer owns Theraputika Massage in Bozeman, Montana. Call her at 406-570-8025 for your own personal massage.