82nd Airborne Division Association, Inc

P.O. Box 87482

Fayetteville, NC 28304-7482

910.223.1182

Release # 05-003

For Immediate Release

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Texas community says thanks to troops with free fishing

By Sgt. Stephen Decatur

4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office 82nd Airborne Division

PORT O'CONNOR, Texas - Because Soldiers spend most of their time with other Soldiers, their everyday lives seem completely normal to them. Butevery once in a while every Soldier runs into someone who tells him whathe does is extraordinary.

Pvt. Michael Varner, a cannon crew member from Carson City, Nevada with 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment had such an experience during an event called Warrior's Weekend May 16 in Port O'Connor, Texas, where locals thanked Soldiers for their service and sacrifices with a day of free fishing.

"I'm used to interacting with my fellow Soldiers, I haven't had the chance to be around civilians too much," Varner said. "A lady walked up to me and shook my hand. I kind of had to get used it."

There were almost 200 wounded Soldiers from Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and many non-wounded Soldiers as well, said Ron Kocian, a co-chairman for the event. A total of about 8,000 people came to the event to thank the troops, Kocian said.  So many boat owners volunteered to take the servicemembers and their families that there was enough space for Vietnam veterans as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans.

"It's not just about the fishing," Kocian said. "It's about giving the public the opportunity to show that they love the troops." Kocian served in the Army during the Vietnam War and remembered the way his fellow Soldiers were treated when they returned to the United States. So he got together with friends to help set up the Warrior's Weekend.

"It will remind [Soldiers] that they're loved, and that we're not forgetting them," Kocian said. Aside from fishing, Soldiers also participated in activities likeclimbing and shooting bows and arrows at the Port O'Connor CommunityCenter, and a dedication ceremony for a field of flags put up by a localchurch. The Faith Family Church put up hundreds of full-sized flags in ashow of solidarity for service members. At the end of the day, a "dinnerwith the troops" was held at the community center to give civilians and troopers one more chance to connect.

Julian Perez heard about the event through a motorcycle group called the Patriot Guard Riders. "It's for the troops. For everything they do for us, it's time we didsomething for them," he said. Perez, who has several family members who have served in the armedforces, said that more people need to meet servicemembers in person. "They ought to be able to sit together with these veterans and realizewhat they're doing so we can enjoy our Saturday nights," Perez said. Spc. Ross Pelto, a Detroit, Mich., native and Paratrooper with 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division, is a fishing enthusiast who was wounded duringhis last deployment to Iraq. He ended up getting the largest catch ofhis life at the event, a 37-inch Red Drum, or Texas Redfish as it's known locally

"This is the first event I've ever been to like this," Pelto said. "I'venever seen this kind of gratitude before; Texas really knows how to treat a veteran."

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