Giving back

Neil Baumann remembers how soldiers were treated when they came home from Vietnam - not very well. He didn't want the same thing happening to soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Together with Columbia Falls Rotarians Jesse Mann, Justin Brecht and other volunteers, a Flathead Valley Chapter of Montana Wounded Warriors was started here.

The Wounded Warriors organization brings veterans together in Montana to enjoy outdoor activities and to help injured servicemen help each other.

Last Saturday, Army Iraq War veterans John Greenwood, Butte, Brandon Olson, Billings, and Char Gatlin, Missoula, went on a fly-fishing trip organized by the local chapter and provided free of charge by the Glacier Outdoor Center.

The three men paired up with guides Brock Sampson and Chad Dubose to hunt down some cutthroat trout from West Glacier to Blankenship.

"It's just a good way to get out and relax and get away from it all," Olson said. "Plus, I've never fly-fished before, so I might as well see if I can do it."

Greenwood had similar sentiments.

"It's nice to meet people who've been in the same situation I have and share stories and know you're not alone," he said. "Plus, I love to fish."

Mann, an Iraq veteran himself, finds veterans for the program through military contacts and word-of-mouth. He, Baumann and Brecht are organizing a hunt in eastern Montana for the veterans this fall.

Baumann said the Columbia Falls Rotary Club was instrumental in providing funding for travel and other expenses. In addition to the fly-fishing trip, they hosted a steak dinner afterwards, and Glacier Outdoor Center provided a cabin for the veterans to stay in.

"I have relatives who serve and have served," Glacier Outdoor Center co-owner Sally Thompson said. "We're proud to do it."

If you know a soldier in need or would like to help out with future projects, contact Mann at: jesse.mann@us.army.mil