Project Healing Waters: Program combines fishing, fly tying with camaraderie, support

Project Healing Waters participants come from as far as Eagle River each week to tie flies, build rods and socialize with fellow servicemen and women. The talk is fishing, and members share information about their favorite fly patterns, fishing techniques and swapping stories about the big ones that got away.

The Project Healing Waters Program in Wasilla meets at the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9365 every Tuesday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

These weekly meetings provide both active and retired military service members a place to be around other like-minded people who truly understand each other.

“There’s a camaraderie in here among combat vets with PTSD,” Volunteer Mike Harsh said. “They just relax and they enjoy the camaraderie, they enjoy the ribbing and the teasing. It’s just like they were back on active duty.”

A retired air force veteran, Harsh has volunteered with the program ever since its inception in Alaska in 2009. He was part of the Alaska Fly Fishers and wanted to find an outlet to help other veterans. He attends fly tying and rod building nights and helps instruct during the meetings. He explained why it is so important for veterans to be involved with the program.

“There’s too many veterans out here that have nothing,” Harsh said. “They’re dealing with it by themselves every day. But if we can get them in here and get them among guys that have been through all of the stuff that they’ve been through, it’s the start of healing.”

Richard Fenton has been participating in the program for eight years. He served in both the navy and the army for over two decades. He was invited to participate in the program by a family member and said he appreciates the friendship and companionship with others in the program. He, like many others in the program, receives support from home to participate and engage within the community.

“It’s been a real pleasure for me,” Fenton said. “My wife likes me to come because I come back in a better mood sometimes.”

Fenton pulled up a photo on his phone of a 28-inch rainbow trout that he caught last spring on the Kenai River during a Project Healing Waters outing. He explained how the program hosts and covers the costs of guided fishing trips for its members.

“I can’t think of a better group of people to be around,” Fenton said.

Kenton Nichols has been participating in the program on and off for several years. An air force veteran, Nichols said he enjoys talking with other members and sharing information based on other people’s experiences.

“It’s a good time to share fishing opportunities,” Nichols said as he motioned towards another member. “Like him and I talking about kayaks and float tubes. A lot of learning happens here.”

The conversation then went on to compare each other’s’ top five favorite fly patterns for fishing on local lakes. The talk is lighthearted, educational and engaging.

Margie Kibler is the Assistant Program Lead and Deputy Regional Coordinator for Project Healing Waters and has been volunteering with the organization for two years. Kibler explained that she had originally pushed her husband to join the program and began accompanying him as a volunteer.

“It was such a hard transition to go from military to civilian life for him,” Kibler said. “To be around all these guys, they’re like family.”

Kibler saw how much it had changed her husband for the better as he became more involved with the community. She encourages more veterans to join the program.

“It’s not just about fly tying, it’s getting together,” Kibler said. “It’s so nice to come and socialize and it’s great camaraderie.”

Walter Kibler, Margie’s husband, served in the army for eight years. While he doesn’t necessarily tie flies, Walter said he comes every week to socialize with other people. He volunteers during the summer by taking other members out fishing on his boat. Walter also talked about how important this program is in the Valley.

“I know a lot of people that are really hurting,” Walter said. “Even if you don’t talk about what’s going on, just being around the people that have the same feelings and the same experiences as you… it helps.”

Justin Dorathy has been a member for three years. A retired army veteran of 20 years, Dorathy joined the program for not only the camaraderie, but to hear the stories and have interactions with previous generations of military.

“You hear the stories from not only recent retirees, you also hear the stories from the older generations,” Dorathy said. “Those stories and the history are going away.”

Building rods has been an opportunity that Dorathy has capitalized on during his time with the program. He has also been able to travel out of state with Project Healing Waters and engage with members from different programs across the country.

“It’s great the opportunities that we get provided here,” Dorathy said. “We go fishing on the Kenai for fall trout, world-class salmon fisheries we’ve got right here in our backyard. And we get to partake in those trips for free… It’s great to have these kinds of experiences and be able to share stories.”

Veterans and volunteers that are interested in joining Project Healing Waters can attend the next tying night on Tuesdays at the VFW in Wasilla from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. or on Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Veteran’s Affairs Building. More information can be found at https://projecthealingwaters.org/location/wasilla/