News Story - Idaho State Journal

Over eggs and pancakes inside the diner, the veterans traded stories about brown trout, chemical weapons and life after war.

The six men ignored the freezing rain falling intermittently outside of The Angus restaurant on that bitter and gray Saturday morning. For the sake of catching fish in blue ribbon trout waters and visiting with people who could empathize, they were eager to brave the elements during a six-hour float trip on the South Fork of the Snake River.

''You know they say, 'No pain, no gain.' My motto is, 'No pain, no pain.'''

''I was supposed to get my clothing allowance in 10 days and it still hasn't come yet. Vance didn't even know he could get a clothing allowance.''

''You know where all the fish are Mike?''

''Were you in an area of Vietnam that was sprayed? If you were, it's automatic. You're automatically 100 percent (disabled) for Agent Orange.''

The day's fishing trip was organized by Vance Wasden, a local disabled veteran who's convinced landing the big one can be therapeutic. Wasden found a willing partner to help organize float trips for disabled veterans from throughout the West in river guide and outfitter Larry Larsen, of Pocatello.

Sponsors to support the trips have proven to be as plentiful as native trout in the South Fork. Several more trips are already in the works.

''The whole point of this is there is life after disability, and there's still something to look forward to,'' Wasden said.

The cast of characters assembled at the diner included a father-son team from Utah, a veteran who drove 18 hours from California for the trip, a commander with Disabled American Veterans in Pocatello, a former Utah National Guard medic who returned from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder and Wasden.

There were also several event organizers on hand, all of whom the veterans thanked frequently for providing them the opportunity to go fishing on a cold and snowy morning.

The man who spearheaded the outing, Wasden, served three tours in the Persian Gulf and finished his most recent tour of duty in 1998. He wasn't injured in combat. Rather, the health problems that have rendered him 100 percent disabled are the result of a dose of outdated anthrax vaccine given to him by the U.S. military.

His festering ailments have resulted in near amputations of his limbs. He's easily tired, has trouble walking, and has coped with internal bleeding, seizures and other health problems. The southpaw now casts a fly rod with his right hand because his left arm has a limited range of motion.

Wasden spent two years restricted to a wheelchair due to the bad vaccine and made a promise to himself during that time that if he could ever walk again, he'd show other disabled veterans that no medicine works quite like the combination of dry flies and rising fish.

With help from Larsen, a guide with Black Dog Outfitters and owner of the Guide Shack in Swan Valley, Wasden and a half dozen other disabled veterans made the inaugural float trip in April of an organization that now calls itself Accessible Anglers.

Though fly fishing is the bait to lure veterans to Accessible Anglers events, it's the camaraderie that participants typically agree makes the trips memorable.

For example, Wasden got to meet Charles Robey of Barstow, Calif. Robey is a man who understands all too well the ordeal that Wasden endures on a daily basis.

Robey, too, had his health ruined by a bad dose of anthrax vaccine. He heard about Wasden and the trip through his involvement with Protecting Our Guardians, an organization that's been working to put an end to anthrax vaccinations.

Robert Dawson is a member of the American Legion Post 4 based in Pocatello, which donated $300 for the trip. Dawson is also commander of both the local Veterans of Foreign War and the DAV.

''It helps to heal the mind,'' said Dawson, a Vietnam veteran. ''I'm glad to get out and do things and enjoy nature right now.''

The father-son team, Mike and Matt Johnson, engaged in some good-natured trash talking at the breakfast table. The elder Johnson, Mike, lost both legs below his knees when a booby trap detonated in Vietnam in January of 1968.

''I hope it's one of those memorable things - to heck with the father and son team,'' Mike said, before proclaiming a mock news headline: ''The dad just whipped his son's ass on the fishing!''

Mike teaches high school health class and coaches girls' basketball at Riverton High School in Riverton, Utah. Mike's father-in-law heard about the trip and thought it would be a perfect fit.

''They started talking about fishing and hunting, and he mentioned he had a son-in-law who was in a wheelchair from Vietnam who liked to hunt and fish and didn't get out much,'' Mike said. ''I haven't done much this year at all.''

His son Matt, a Salt Lake Community College student studying computer science, returned from Iraq in August 2006. Matt served as a machine gunner with the renowned Marine Corps 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, the most decorated Marine Corps infantry battalion.

''That's a different feeling, knowing sort of what they're going through, and yet it's different,'' Mike said. ''My big deal was getting worried about him getting hurt real bad. We were glad to see him back pretty much whole.''

Matt's first order of business upon returning from Iraq was to unwind in Alaska on a 10-day fishing trip financed by his deployment money.

The Johnson family spent 10 years living in Alaska, and Mike is the first one to admit, ''In Alaska, if you want to catch a red salmon, you send Matt.''

Mike had been anticipating the trip for weeks and figured snow and rain would surface when the date finally arrived. Then again, he'd already made up his mind to have fun despite the elements.

''It doesn't make any difference,'' Mike said as he finished his breakfast. ''I don't think the fish care. We've seen some bad weather but caught some big fish.''

By John O'Connell

This document was originally published online on Sunday, October 28, 2007

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