Photo By Timothy Hale | Lt. Col. Danavan Bussey, a U.S. Army Reserve Command strategic events planner, second...... read more read more
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PITTSBORO, N.C. - More than 75 military service members teamed up with professional and semi-professional bass anglers for the 8th Annual Warriors on the Water fishing tournament here, April 19, 2013.
For three U.S. Army Reserve Command soldiers, who may not have pulled in a trophy bass, the memories and new friendships they gained far surpassed effort.
“This is not a money tournament,” said Hal Abshire, an Air Force veteran and one of the founding members of Warriors on the Water. “It’s that pride of taking that hero out with them and everyone is a hero here.”
Lt. Col. Danavan Bussey, a strategic event planner with the USARC Contract Acquisition Support Office, said it was “fun and it’s one of the most exciting things I’ve done.”
Bussey, himself an avid fisherman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it also gave him a chance to talk to other anglers.
“We were all there together in friendship. As soon as I got back to the car, I called everyone that I knew,” Bussey said. “If I’m here next year, I want to do it again.”
For Sgt. Dexter Taylor, a USARC paralegal noncommissioned officer, the Warriors on the Water event was only the third time the New Bern, N.C. native had been fishing.
“I’ve been twice with my wife, but we never caught anything,” Taylor said. But that changed thanks to his professional partner, J.W. Moreno from Piney Flats, Tenn.
“He was great,” Moreno said. “He didn’t know how to use a spinning reel at the start of the day. By the end of the day, he was throwing it up under trees. He’s patient and that’s what it takes to be a good fisherman.”
Taylor broke his fishless streak and landed one. Even thought it didn’t meet the required 14-inch minimum for the tournament, he’s hooked on fishing.
“I’m looking at renting a boat and getting back out there,” Taylor said.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Waskewich, also a USARC Staff Judge Advocate NCO and experienced angler from Brookville, Ind., only caught three fish, but no keepers.
“The waves being real choppy and the wind blowing around probably had a lot to do with people not catching as many,” he said.
Waskewich said fishing with his pro, Terry Smith of Fayetteville, N.C., was “a blast. He is very knowledgeable and he’s been on this lake several times.”
Whether a service member catches their limit or none at all, Abshire said they payoff for Warriors on the Water “is to see the look on their faces. It’s amazing how everyone comes together.”
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2013 09:10 |
| Story ID: | 105664 |
| Location: | PITTSBORO, NC, US |
| Hometown: | BROOKVILLE, IN, US |
| Hometown: | FAYETTEVILLE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | NEW BERN, NC, US |
| Hometown: | PINEY FLATS, TN, US |
| Hometown: | SANFORD, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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