Today is Sunday the 16th of July and I`m not fishing today. I`ve been on the roof and out in the garden and recharged to AC in the little car. Last Friday the 14th was a special day for me. I was invited to take 3 Veterans fishing on my pontoon out around the Cedar Key Florida area. These Vets were part of a group of 10 that came to our area from the Wounded Warriors Project, Operation Outdoor Freedom. All 10 of the men had been wounded in the Afghanistan or the Iraq wars. There are 4 generations of Americans that have lived thru a war. Robinson Seafood along with the project coordinator, Ned Waters, sponsored the Vets trip here. Accommodations were provided by, Harbor Master, Low Key Hideaway, Fenimore Mill, Natures Landing, Seahorse Landing, and Pirates Cove. Fishing Gear and contest prize suppliers were, Robinson Seafood, Cedar Key Marine Hardware, Napa Auto Parts, Mike Scott Plumbing and Cindy King. Some of Cedar Keys great womenfolk volunteered their time and helped bring about a smooth operation for the group of Veterans while they were here. Melissa Casto, Donna Risker, Candy Francis and Lori Rumele were those good women. We left the dock on a blustery, choppy morning and made our way out to our favorite spots. The wind never let up. It blew 15 mph the whole time. We rocked and rolled everywhere. The fact we were out on a boat and fishing was what really made those guys feel good. Nothing like angling for fish to make you feel like you`ve been able to get away from it all. The 5 charter Captains escorting the Vets that day out fishing were Andy Brown, Carl Robinson, Jim Keith and Jimbo Keith and myself. Everyone went to Robinson`s Seafood Restaurant after our trips and sat down to a fine dinner. Fortunately Capt.Carl and Chef Eve had some more fish from their fresh seafood market to add to our catch to make a great feast for the Veterans and ourselves. It was truly an honor to sit in the same room with men who had given all of themselves in a foreign land just so we could live the lives we do here in America.They were truly all warrior heroes. As I left, a Veteran called `Beaner` came up to me and stuck his hand out to me to shake farewell and I noticed something in the palm of his hand. We shook firmly as he passed a disk of steel into my palm. It was a beautiful medal with Wounded Warrior Project embossed on the front and the mission statement on the reverse: TO HONOR AND EMPOWER WOUNDED WARRIORS. The picture is of the whole group at the dock before our trips. Capt. Dan |
