Thump, thump. “Shhhhhh, stop throwing rocks, you are going to scare the fish,” said my grandfather. Heeding this warning and watching him slowly wade up the river to sneak up on unsuspecting trout is one my earliest childhood memories. I had just turned four and my grandfather, a salty, but humorous WWII veteran, wanted nothing more than to teach his grandson how to fish. As I watched him quietly navigate the stream, read the water, and gracefully approach the next fishing hole, I was amazed at how this environment seemed to be a part of who he was, how it made sense to him, and how he was in harmony with the river and the forest all around him. It occurred to me then and on many subsequent fishing trips with my grandfather that this was about more than fishing.
My grandfather had stormed the beach at Normandy, survived the battle of the bulge, marched with General Patton liberating concentration camps across Nazi Germany, and in the process earned a bronze star, silver star and purple heart. While he came back from the war with various medals and honors, he also came back with physical and emotional battle scars, the type of scars that come from encountering hell on Earth. Being on the river and listening to the running waters and the silence of the forest became a place of healing for my grandfather, a place of peace where he could reconnect with himself and the world around him, and fundamentally a place of hope, where with each new cast, came the potential of a fish of great beauty, size and wonder. As I watched my grandfather that day and many days after, I realized the power and potential of New Mexico’s healing waters.
This realization became even more profound, when 30 years later my best friend returned from an extended tour of duty in Afghanistan. As best friends since the first grade, I’d known Eric almost as long as I had known my grandfather. Though glad to return home to family and friends in New Mexico, Eric’s readjustment from war was not easy. As a Navy Corpsman and medic assigned to a Marines special operations unit, Eric had received a commendation for treating over 1,000 active duty military and civilian patients. However, with this commendation also came nightmares, trouble sleeping, and other signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a field representative covering veteran’s issues for then U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman as well as a Presbyterian minister who had worked with disabled veterans, I knew Eric needed professional help, but I also knew he was not open to it and did not want to go to the VA.
Watching my best friend struggle and not knowing what to do, I did the only thing I knew how to do; I invited him to go fishing. For as long as I can remember, Eric had been my fishing partner–from elementary to high school and into college and now as young adults, Eric and I have fished every river, lake and ocean we came across. On a beautiful day in late May, Eric and I fished the upper Pecos River. By mid-day both of us had landed not only lots of nice browns and rainbows, but also a couple of fish over 22 inches. As we broke for lunch, I saw Eric do something I hadn’t seen in a while, smile. Like my grandfather, I could see that the beauty and serenity of the wilderness offered Eric a sense of peace and connectedness.
As we drove home from the river that night, Eric began to open up about what he had encountered in Afghanistan. After spending the next few hours listening to some of the pain, frustration and trauma he experienced, I mentioned to Eric that I thought it would be helpful if he met a couple of my veteran friends who worked at the Santa Fe Vet Center. Although he initially seemed reluctant, I told Eric I would go with him to the Vet Center and that this visit didn’t need to be anything formal, but we could just check out the place, have a cup of coffee and I’d introduce him to some of the folks I knew. When we walked into the Vet Center later that week, the staff warmly greeted us. Over the next hour, the Vet Center staff, all of which were veterans themselves, swapped stories with Eric. As trust began to build, Eric began to open up about his experiences in Afghanistan. Before we left that day, Eric made a follow-up appointment with the Vet Center and over that next year, the Center helped him and his family not only work through his PTSD, but also helped him navigate the larger VA health and benefits system. While the journey of healing and wholeness has been long and not easy, the waters and wilderness of the Pecos that day created the necessary opening and first step to start the healing process.
Recognizing that the tradition of answering the call of duty runs deep in New Mexico’s history, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation seeks to honor and support all of our active military and veterans whose sacrifice makes it possible for each of us to enjoy the beauty and healing powers of our public lands. In seeking to honor those who have fought for land and country, the NMWF is committed to partnering with our veterans and veterans’ organizations to promote active military and veterans access to our public lands and national parks as well as we will continue to support and fight for discounts for fishing and hunting licenses for our veterans and active military.
In dedicating staff to work with our military personnel, veterans and veterans’ organizations, the NMWF is also committed to supporting and creating initiatives and events aimed at promoting veterans healing and wholeness. Along these lines, the NMWF will be hosting a free Heroes Day event at the Valles Caldera National Preserve to honor all of our veterans, active military and first responders. Over this upcoming year, we will also be working collaboratively to support, organize, and develop regular and ongoing veterans fishing, fly-fishing, fly-tying, hiking and rafting events throughout New Mexico.
If you are veteran, member of the active military or leader of a veteran’s organization who would like to get involved, please contact: andrew@nmwildlife.org.
As Director of Community Relations, Education and Veterans Outreach, Andrew Black spearheads the NMWF’s veterans’ initiatives. In previously covering veterans’ issues for U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman, Andrew worked on the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the Navajo Codetalkers. While with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Andrew worked collaboratively with veterans and veterans’ organizations to promote greater access to quality affordable health care for New Mexico’s veterans, which included the development and building of new veteran health clinics in Santa Fe and Raton.
