Looking to combat Montana’s status as the state with the highest rate of veteran suicides, Montana Vets Montana Waters is offering injured veterans an escape through fly fishing, NBC Montana reports.
Bernie Jacobs, the chairman of the organization, told NBC Montana that fly fishing can help veterans regain muscle strength while also serving as a life-saving escape from stress. “Those are therapeutic in a sense that it gives vets a place to go when they start feeling boxed in or their stress levels are building up,” he told NBC Montana. “Tying a fly or doing some fly casting is just and escape.”
As of March 1, the organization has 30 veterans scheduled for trips on Big Hole and Missouri Rivers with 28 more veterans on the waiting list. Although currently only located in the Helena area, the organization is hoping to expand to service all Montana veterans in major fishing areas.
“I’ve seen what it has done for veterans,” veteran Wade Ingraham told NBC Montana. Ingraham served in the military for 27 years, including six deployments. “Some of them pick up a rod and spend a day on the river and never do it again, but some of them I’ve seen it change their lives.”
After Alaska, Montana has the highest number of veterans per capita, according to NBC Montana.
For more information or to donate to Montana Vets Montana Waters, click here.
Montana non-profit is helping injured veterans recover through fly fishing
