Monday evening, April 12, 2021, Captain Joel Stewart, sat down with the PHWFF WV region at 1800, 6 p.m. EST. When he presented to us, it was 0400, 4:00 a.m. his time where he is stationed on an island so remote you can only travel to the island via military orders. The fact that he even got up earlier than usual just to talk with us speaks volumes about this man, what he has done for his country, and what he does for our organization.

Capt. Joel Stewart currently serves in the United States Navy, and started the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing around the same time PHWFF got its own start. His experiences fishing on six different continents for a multitude of species have been shared with the public via his book, “A Fly Rod in My Sea Bag.” Proceeds from that book go directly to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. Those funds are used to make certain participants in our programs have the tools they need to succeed while chasing our finned quarry.

Monday night, he gave us a presentation about his experiences in Baghdad, which led him to write his book and even answered questions pertaining to his time overseas and everything he accomplished. Years ago, when I personally got involved with PHWFF, Capt. Joel Stewart had just written his book, and it was being shared throughout the organization. I got an opportunity to read it, and was amazed at how his passion was used to get others into the sport that we so dearly love. It’s basically what we do with PHWFF, and here it is in book form for all to read.

Not only has he agreed on that presentation, he’s also going to be presenting to the PHWFF WV region the next two Mondays, April 19th and April 26th, at 1800, 6 p.m. EST. We are really looking forward to what he has to say during these presentations, and how he answers questions pertaining to his time and travel around the world.

We are very thankful for Capt. Stewart to have given us his time. Time is the most precious commodity on this earth, and we cherish every single second someone is willing to give of their time to our organization. We are looking forward to the upcoming weeks – stay tuned!

For participants and volunteers registered in the CRM with PHWFF interested in watching Captain Stewart’s presentation, contact Bubba Holt, PHWFF WV Regional Coordinator, at bubba.holt@projecthealingwaters.org, and a link will be shared with you.

To learn more about Captain Joel Stewart, his story, and his travels, you can visit his blog at krazygoof.wordpress.com.