Nebraskaland

44 Nebraskaland • August-September 2019 brings back some of that camaraderie they had, and a lot of veterans have a hard time relating or sharing their stories unless they're talking to another veteran." The fl y-fi shing part is good, too, Folkerts said. There is the sense of accomplishment of building a rod and tying a fl y and catching a fi sh. And of course there is the peace and healing power of being on the water in beautiful places and enjoying nature, and how that can help them cope and deal with their problems. "It's kind of the opposite of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, or just war in general," Folkerts said. "War is like an overloading of your senses of horrible images, horrible experiences. And then getting out and fi shing, especially fl y-fi shing in beautiful places, is like overloading your senses with positive images and positive experiences, and it works." THE PROJECT HEALING WATERS program is not just for those who have served in the Global War on Terror. It is also open to any active duty military personnel and any veteran who has suff ered a disability, no matter the disability. Charles Baswell carried his mental scars from the Vietnam War for decades before he would even talk about them. He joined Project Healing Waters as a participant four years ago, becoming hooked after an invitation to join a fl y-tying class at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Omaha. He soon volunteered as an instructor and this year took over as the program lead for Omaha Project Healing Waters. He also volunteers at the V.A. Hospital, helping veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. "I work with these kids all day, and to take them fi shing is an extension of the recovery center," he said. "They come scared. They're completely isolated. They're completely detached from society. Some of them, at times, they don't want nothing to do with anybody. And I understand that. Coming back from Vietnam, that's the way I was. I recognize myself in these kids." Baswell has seen veterans come out of their shell through Project Healing Waters. But it doesn't happen overnight. He is in his fourth year in the program, and it took two years for him to start talking about what he saw in Vietnam. Baswell volunteered to serve in Vietnam, joining the Navy because he loved the water and hoped it would keep him out of the jungle. Instead, he was assigned to be a medic with the First Division, First Company of the Marines. He became friends with those soldiers, and saw many of them die. "I got there in May of 1967 and I didn't leave until October of 1968. That's a helluva time," he said, pointing to the Tet Off ensive in early 1968 as the worst of it. "We saw kids die every day. I still have nightmares where a kid grabs my arm and says 'Tell my mother I love her.' How do you absorb that, knowing he's dying right now? How do you absorb that? This is not once, this was … oh my God … I can't even … I lost track." Like other veterans, Baswell didn't talk about those nightmares after he returned to the states. "I was in denial for 50 years," he said. Now he wants to help soldiers returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere face their demons and "realize that their sorrow and their pain and their hurt resonates," Baswsell said. "We help each other." Fishing is the perfect distraction, Baswell said. "When people come out here, there are no phones. You're not listening to the outside world. You're just watching the water," he said. Blocking out the noise can give you peace, which can give you hope. Baswell had fi shed since childhood, but not until he joined the program did he take up fl y-fi shing. "It's my sanctuary," he said. WHEN DAVID LANDON recovered from the knee, ankle and head injuries he sustained when that improvised explosive device detonated, he returned to action. His mother, Jane Landon, now his full-time caregiver, said she only knows bits and pieces about the things he experienced during his time in Iraq – about as much as the therapists who help him. About getting separated from his unit in Iraq, and saving a bullet for himself because he didn't want to be captured. About the children who would approach them, and how some were sent carrying bombs and the decisions that had to be made. "These guys have experienced horrors that they want to lock up in a little box and chain it closed and not deal with it anymore," Jane said. Landon began suff ering other maladies. More than once, when his base was being bombarded by missiles, Landon was found walking toward the explosions rather than running away. One of his friends convinced him to seek help. Volunteer Mike Dvorak of Lincoln and Jerry Gustin, an Air Force veteran from Omaha, have some fun with a bluegill Gustin caught during a Project Healing Waters event at Bowling Lake in Lincoln.

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