The Beginning

In the Spring of 2004, I was faced with adversity. Once again I had to lace up my boots, gear up, and sling my rifle. I was boarding a plane for the second time to head off to battle to fight for my country. I held my head high with pride and wiped away a tear as I looked back to see my 2 year old son and newly pregnant wife standing hand and hand waving me off. Once out of their sight, I let my head sink a bit, but tried to remain strong despite the realization of the pain that await me.

A year passed, and I emerged from the plane a changed man. I discovered that I had matured. I had grown. I had expanded my views on life and the world. I had become a better person, and made a difference, yet I had grown distant from my friends and family. I had faced things I would not soon let go, let alone even have the strength to face. In burying it deep inside, I closed off a part of myself, and my loved ones suffered.

I had hit bottom and was numb to life. I couldn't remember the last time I felt an emotion of any kind. Then a couple southern boys in my unit took me out fishing one day, and from there on my life would head in a new direction.

I discovered the meaning of the word passion as I found that fishing was more than just sitting on a dock watching a bobber with hopeless patience. It was a science. I embarked on a journey in which I learned where the different species of fish lurk at different times of the day as well as the year. What they eat, and when they eat it. Do they hunt or do search the bottom for scraps. Where do they live, and where do they feed. How does the water quality and underwater terrain effect their behavior. In an essence, I pulled my feet out of the water, stood up from the worn planks on the end of the dock, quit waiting for the fish to come to me, and I began the hunt for them.

In the process, I began to feel again. I felt many things. I felt joy when I succeeded, and aggravation when my prey got the best of me. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I walked past a group of empty handed anglers, parading my stringer loaded with my catch. I was good at something again, and I was hooked.

These feelings stimulated my soul, and I became myself again. I became a better father, husband, friend and person. All I had learned during my time away was now showing its true colors and I felt on top of the world.