Fishing And Freedom Go Hand-In-Hand With This Alabama Program

By Carolanne Roberts

Nobody knows exactly how many bass and catfish U.S. veterans caught when they took to the waters of Logan Martin Lake one recent spring morning. But it wasn’t about numbers anyway. It was about freedoms – a field trip away from the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City and the freedom each of us enjoys every day because of their service.

Being out on that water was glory enough. The glisten of the sun on the gentle waves paled compared to the light of delight in the veterans’ eyes. Their attire alone read like a history book – World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and other conflicts emblazoned on T-shirts, jackets and caps. Many arrived lakeside in wheelchairs, others on walkers, some attached to oxygen with the help of nearby nurse assistants. But when they boarded the eight pontoon and bass boats, all vets were created equal. And equal meant happy.

Take Hubert Craft, whose first question of the day was “Where’s my boat?” Mind you, this avid fisherman is almost 93, a veteran of World War II where, as a Navy fireman first class, he worked on engines in the Philippines. Though he didn’t land a catch, Craft beamed at the thought that his boat scored one. And that he, as the eldest aboard, was tapped for a photo with the prize. His smile was pure joy, almost as big as his cherished memory of being told on Okinawa that the war had ended.Then there’s the delightful Raford Liles, 94, who quipped, “I didn’t fish this year because I let one get away last time.” Liles, like Craft, won the honor of posing with his boat’s “trophy,” smiling triumphantly. When this World War II vet was asked what he did in the Navy, the quips flew again. “As little as possible,” was the answer, though the embroidered details on his cap told a different story: It read USS Essex (CV-9), an aircraft carrier and lead ship of the 24-ship Essex class. His rank was Lt. junior grade.

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