WHITTINGTON, Ill. (AP) - It was a chilly April morning. The crappie weren’t cooperative, but Sgt. Matthew Taylor of Fort Campbell was undeterred.
Sgt. Taylor patiently guided his minnow-tipped hook through Rend Lake’s tangled buckbrush, hoping for the opportunity to tangle with a two-pounder. The lack of action did little to dampen his enthusiasm.
Sgt. Taylor and five other members of the Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Batallion were enjoying a day on Rend Lake courtesy of Healing Outside of a Hospital. While the immediate goal was to fill the livewell with crappie, the bigger picture was more important.
“These guys,” Sgt. Taylor said nodding at Jason Dudley and Allen Bryan, his guides, “Are more of a therapist, I’m serious, as a regular therapist. It’s funny the way it works, but who would have ever thought .”
Sgt. Taylor spoke with a conviction that can only come from experience. He served one tour of duty in Iraq and three in Afghanistan, leaving him with physical and emotional scars. He suffered a serious injury, getting pulled out of a helicopter in 2010.
Now the administrator of the Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Batallion, Sgt. Taylor credits the outdoor “therapy” for saving his life. A double-bearded turkey mount prominently displayed in his office is a daily reminder of healing power of nature.
“I came back from Afghanistan in 2011 on a cane,” he said. “I was told I was supposed to be in a wheelchair in probably six months. I told the wife if that happens we’d have to have a chat in the woods, and I didn’t know if I’d come out.
“I went on a turkey hunt. The second hunt I actually shot the big double beard and forgot about the cane for a couple hours. Fast forward a year later I was tasked to take over the program.”
The hunting and fishing experiences allow soldiers an escape from the daily realities they face.
“I have a saying at the bottom of my email ’Mental medicine at its finest’,” Sgt. Taylor said. “It’s not so much the hunting and fishing, it’s just getting away from all the BS with the medical stuff going on. It allows them to interact with other soldiers in a controlled environment, but at the same time it’s not controlled by the regular Army.
“It means the world to them. I’ve been with the program now for almost four years, leading it. It’s been an incredible journey. I’ve seen it save a lot of soldiers’ lives. It’s been absolutely amazing.”
Sgt. Taylor’s comments were frequently interrupted by hoots and hollers as anglers in nearby boats caught crappie.
In addition to the therapeutic benefits, the program has introduced many soldiers to the simple joys of hunting and fishing.
“We have a lot of news outdoors people come out,” said Sgt. Taylor. “One of the guys caught his first fish last night. He had never so much as touched a modern fishing rod. He said he tried a cane pole when he was a kid. We have a lot of first time hunters and fishermen. I never hunted until I came to the program and now I run it four years later.”
Tom Gaither, downstate administrator for Healing Outside Of A Hospital, coordinated the Rend Lake event. The organization has been treating wounded soldiers to hunting and fishing trips since 2006.
“I’m a former Marine,” Mr. Gaither said. “After spending time with these guys, the sacrifices they’ve made, the opportunity to give something back to them is a great gift. We form friendships. Everyone that has hunted and fished with us before that are out of the service contacts us. That’s the basis of the program to form friendships. When they get out of the military and they’re having a rough day they can reach out to us.”
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Source: The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan, https://bit.ly/1HgABXM
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