Veterans Service Program

Imagine.
Imagine the traumas of war.
Imagine standing in a clear water stream casting for trout.
Imagine rehabilitation.
Imagine healing.
Imagine hope.

The Veterans Service Program is a nationwide effort initiated by Trout Unlimited to engage our 400 chapters and 140,000 members in the good work of bringing rehabilitation, healing and hope to our nation’s recovering soldiers and disabled veterans. Through the generous support of Telos Corp., and the Goyanes Family Foundation, TU members in ever-growing numbers are stepping forward to repay those that have given so much to ensure our freedoms. 

In partnership with Project Healing Waters and other veteran’s service organizations, our chapter members meet with the recovering warriors at VA Medical Centers, outpatient clinics and military facilities across the nation. These instructional meetings are managed by our program leaders and might involve as many as 15 to 20 participants and an equal number of volunteers. We teach the basics of fly casting, fly tying, rod and drift boat building, fishing techniques, basic entomology and coldwater conservation. The meetings occur once or twice a month and during good weather are followed by many on-stream outings.

Our participants include disabled veterans and recovering soldiers from the Vietnam Era and those from more recent conflicts. Many are wheelchair bound. Many are amputees. Many have suffered traumatic brain injuries, and many are suffering from some degree of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

It is amazing to watch one of our warriors regain hope and healing through the programs that we offer. Motor skills are improved and the physical and psychological rehabilitation that results from our activities makes it all worthwhile. There is nothing like a clear, cold trout stream to bring peace and comfort to those who have experienced the traumas of war. By teaching the basics of the sport we love, and through many on-stream outings, we are bringing therapeutic rehabilitation to those who have given so much.

There are over 3 million disabled veterans in this land of ours, and over a million of them are from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The need is there, it is real and it is important. Through our programs we are witnessing miracles, large and small, as we bring healing and hope to this ever-growing number of men and women who have made extraordinary sacrifices to protect our rights and freedoms.

For additional information about the program and how you can become involved, please contact our Veterans Service Program Coordinator, Alan Folger, at afolger@tu.org [1].

Partners:

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing www.projecthealingwaters.org [2]

Warriors and Quiet Waters www.warriorsandquietwaters.org [3]

Higher Ground www.hgvets.org [4]

Hidden Wounds www.hiddenwounds.org [5]

Rivers of Recovery www.riversofrecovery.org [6]

VSP Facebook: www.facebook.com/TUVSP [7]