Lyons Veterans Affairs Hospital and The Fly Fishing Show – Somerset, New Jersey

My phone rang at 0447 hours. The “Admiral” called to inform me that he and John Colburn were inbound to pick me up on the way to Somerset, New Jersey. Friday, 26 January was a frigid day, and the freezing morning air sent a chill straight to our bones. We pointed the Suburban north, hoping to beat the morning rush hour circus.

A few hours later we were in Naval Weapons Station Earle, where Captain Nicholson once commanded the post. We were able to check into the MWR lodging, which used to be junior officer quarters. Ed took John and me to see his old command post, and we were received warmly by the current post commander, Captain Maynard. We even met a few of Ed’s former employees. They all seemed genuinely pleased to see him; he must have been much more bearable then!

After our meeting with the commander, we three amigos headed out to the Lyons Veterans Affairs Hospital for a meeting with Laurie Tomaino and her staff of Recreational Therapists. Also present were Bob Cohen and Stewart Shafran, two local PHW volunteers who we met for the first time. John and I presented the “Project Healing Waters in Action” slideshow while simultaneously participating in a group discussion about PHW and the positive impact we will have on disabled veterans in the East Orange and Lyons communities. Laurie and her staff were incredibly receptive to our ideas, and it was apparent that Bob and Stewart were highly motivated to get vets on the water.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, we followed Bob and Stewart to the Fly Fishing Show where we met up with Richard Diamond at the Northeast Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers booth. We were soon introduced to some of the most interesting characters in the fly fishing industry. I watched Ken Reinard, a Colonial angler, tie a fly the traditional way without a vice. Fly tyer extraordinaire, Frank Thompson, was checking stamps at the entrance. Ed, John, and I split up up to infiltrate the expo center and recon various exhibits. Soon thereafter, the show closed for the night. We proceeded across the street to the Holiday Inn, where Richard was very generous in treating us to dinner. We ate, told fishing lies, and discussed the future of PHW. A few hours later, we called it a night and headed back to Earle.

At the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, I was once again awakened by the Admiral. He and the Chief had been stirring for awhile, prepping for the show. We grabbed some grub on the run and returned to Somerset. Major Doug Matty, U.S. Army, had driven up that morning from Virginia and was already there waiting on us. We dropped our gear and continued mission: promoting PHW. We toured the exhibits, spreading the PHW message and promoting the two-fly tournament sponsored by the Eastern Blue Ridge Fly Fishers and the Rose River Farm in May. We were met with overwhelming support. Fly fishing A-listers Phil Gay, Charles Meck, Aldro French, and Dave Rothrock generously offered to attend our fundraiser. We were also able to thank some of our biggest supporters: The Spring Ridge Club, The Orvis Company, and Temple Fork Outfitters. We met many new individuals and outfitters willing to support our disabled and wounded anglers.

The Somerset trip proved to be a successful mission. It was a major step forward for Project Healing Waters in offering the skills of fly fishing and fly tying to disabled veterans outside the Walter Reed community. This is merely the beginning of providing PHW’s therapy to veterans nationwide. As Captain Nicholson would say, “ Full speed ahead!”

Eivind Forseth,

Project Coordinator