Wanting to share this peace of mind with other struggling vets, Burt, along with his wife, Joni, has become a loyal and
valued volunteer with Patriot Anglers. Through Patriot Anglers, Burt hopes to get other vets who may be suffering,
outdoors, a smile on their faces, and maybe even a fish or two. For Trevor Totten, fishing was a childhood pastime. He
began fishing with his father at the age of 5 and continued throughout his childhood and through high school. After high
school, at the age of 17, he joined the Army. In January of 2000, he went through training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and was
then stationed at Fort Carson, CO with the MOS 19D Cavalry Scout.
In 2001, he was transferred to Camp Garry Owen in South Korea, where he was cross
trained
as an 11C Infantry Mortarman. While stationed in Korea, he became critically ill, and was
transferred back to Fort Carson where he was assigned to the medical hold detachment
and
worked as an administrative assistant until being medically retired in 2003.
Upon his discharge, Trevor found himself struggling with the transition back to civilian
life, and returned to his childhood hobby of fishing as a way to relieve stress.
While on the water, he is able to halt the chaos of life, and listen to his own thoughts
without
interruption. In an attempt to further his own healing and give back to others, he now
volunteers with the Patriot Anglers. He has found solace in his time spent talking to and
helping other veterans, and in the process he has made connections and friendships
which he believes will help him grow as an angler and as a veteran.
Jeremy Walsh didn’t grow up fishing, he was raised by a single mom of 3, so he only went
a few times as a teenager. In recent years, however, fishing has become a passion and
much needed escape for Jeremy.
Jeremy joined the military right out of high school. He was stationed at Ft Riley, KS as a
Combat Engineer, during which time he did some unsuccessful catfishing. He returned
from active duty in Kansas to join the Colorado National Guard as Military Police. While in
the guard, he deployed multiple times. He spent 8 months in Croatia and Hungary and
deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning home 13 months
later in March of 2004. Upon discharge from the military, Jeremy was surprised by the
amount of pressure and anxiety he was feeling due to PTSD. Even with the support of his
spouse, the transition back to civilian life was a difficult one. He began fishing and found
that it relaxed him and allowed him to decompress and recharge. He found the outdoors
to be a welcome respite from the stresses of everyday life,
and fishing a way to calm his anxiety and quiet his nerves.
He has been volunteering with Patriot Anglers since the
inaugural trip, and what began as a favor for a friend,
quickly became a passion. He and his wife are now staff
members of Patriot Anglers, and their young children even
volunteer, passing out worms and hand warmers to the
fishing participants. He felt a connection with the service
members he was helping, and his work with Patriot
Anglers has set him on his own path to healing.
These 3 men are just a few of the many dedicated and
passionate staff and volunteers who make up Patriot
Anglers. All are devoted to their mission to get veterans
outdoors, and by helping these men and women of the
military, they are helping themselves as well. Because it
isn’t just about learning how to fish, it’s about learning to
how to come home.