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Day to Remember for Soldiers and Anglers
April 30, 2008
“I’m old enough to come from the Vietnam War era and I remember how poorly the soldiers were treated when they came back,” said PAA member Dave Mansue. “It was not a proud moment for any of us.”
The New Jersey pro recently took a step to ensure that veterans of our country’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan won’t suffer the same indignities. Along with anglers including Marty Stone, Kelby Waldrip, Mark Rogers and Randy Yarnall, he participated in the Warriors on the Water tournament two weeks ago on North Carolina’s Lake Norman.
He had served in the National Guard in the early 1970’s, and since then has worked as a law enforcement officer in New Jersey, so he understands some of the sacrifices the soldiers have made. Despite a busy schedule, he made the effort to take part in each aspect of the event, and referred to it as “time well spent” and “one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever been involved in.”
He was invited by organizer Hal Abshire, whom Mansue had drawn in the first BASS pro-am he’d ever fished in 1994. Not coincidentally, it too was on Norman.
On Wednesday, the soldiers and anglers met in a sports bar on Fort Bragg to prepare for their time on the water. The state of North Carolina waived licensing requirements for the anglers, and there were substantial numbers of giveaways, but mostly it was just a time to mingle. Prominent members of the fishing community including Forrest L. Wood and Charlie Evans spoke to the assembled group, as did various military officers.
The next day, the anglers were given a comprehensive tour of Fort Bragg. “It was really amazing how they gave us the VIP treatment,” he said.
One facility featured High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jumping, in a tower with 170 mph winds to simulate a freefall, and the anglers were invited to try it out. Then they went to a simulated range and participated in “shoot/don’t shoot” scenarios with M4’s. After that, they jumped off of a 34 foot tower (attached to cables), to get the sense of what it feels like when a parachute opens. They were reminded of war’s more grim impacts when they toured the fort’s state of the art military facility to meet with wounded soldiers.
“Then, on Friday, we got to fish, but first four women from the Golden Knights parachute team jumped from three thousand feet onto individual bass boats with amazing precision,” he said.
He was paired with a young man from Texas, Chris Robinson, a member of the 82nd Airborne. “He’d done a little bit of fishing in Texas, but it was suggested to me by another pro to allow the soldier to drive the boat, and that was his highlight of the day, seeing the speeds that my Skeeter could get up to.”
Although not every angler caught fish that day, there were numerous quality catches and FLW lent its weigh-in trailer to the event, which gave it the same feel as a true professional bass tournament.
“These guys are why we’re able to do what we do on a daily basis. I just wanted to give them a thank you face-to-face,” Mansue said.
“I’m still beaming. I already told Hal to sign me up for next year and I encourage all PAA members to become involved. These soldiers are potentially making the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.”
