Soldiers Catch Fish, Catch Up With Family

Published on August 27th, 2009

By TAMMY JUDD

Eleven soldiers were able to have some quality time and a fishing adventure with their children during the first Naknek River American Heroes Silver Salmon Derby earlier this month. The event, coordinated through the Bristol Bay Elks Club and the MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) program at Fort Richardson, was held Aug. 6-9 in King Salmon, and sponsors hope to make it an annual event.

"It was phenomenal and unbelievable," said Susan DeDionisio, a MWR partnership specialist from Fort Richardson.

Each soldier was teamed with one of their family members. The goal was to offer an opportunity for the soldier to renew bonds and just hang out with their children, who had to be 12 or older to participate.

According to Rob Babiak, the Bristol Bay Elks Club had been looking for a way to show appreciation for soldiers who have served overseas and came up with the idea of doing a derby awhile back.

"It was something that the group at the Elks wanted to contribute, to do something for that group of people," Babiak said a few days before the derby. "We were fortunate enough to get connected with Susan DeDionisio, the MWR partnership specialist at Fort Richardson."

DeDionisio is working diligently on putting new twists on programs that offer children a chance to spend quality time with their parents or guardians.

The Elks provided the soldiers and dependents with an all-expenses-paid trip out to King Salmon to compete in a silver salmon derby.

The Bristol Bay community came together to support the Elks, who raised money with "everything from poker tourneys to sending out quantities of letters and attending political events, begging and borrowing," said Babiak. "We actually had to scramble around to try to raise money to get organized, and we spent the last month working pretty hard to do it."

Babiak said the Elks members started making calls to people they thought would be willing to participate, and as soon as the word got out, people started volunteering.

"Just about everybody in the community seems like they've either donated some money or time and all the businesses have stepped up. Most of the businesses have really helped out; PenAir, and Northern Air Cargo has been a pretty big contributor. Wards Cove (paid) for the barbecue and festivities on Sunday night. We have people just coming by and dropping off money because they want to see it happen," he said prior to the derby.

The parent and youth teams started arriving in King Salmon on the Thursday evening and Friday morning prior to the event. They were housed together at the former Air Force base. On that Friday evening, the teams pulled their guide's name out of a hat. Each team had their own fishing guide, volunteers from the Bristol Bay area.

The official derby followed that Saturday and Sunday, but soldiers and children were able to get familiar with the King Salmon area, meet community members and guides and had an opportunity to view some bears, DeDionisio said.

After their days out fishing, there were group activities. For instance there was a game in which youths were sent to another room and soldiers were asked questions such as "which way does your family like toilet paper rolled, over or under?" or "What is a favorite family memory?" and when youths came back they answered the same questions to see how well the two knew their families.

"We did all kinds of team-building activities. It was so wonderful, because one of the soldiers told his daughter, 'Hey honey, make sure you talk to me all day tomorrow while we're boating so we can win the game when we play again.' It's all about bonding and really getting to know each other, and they'll tell you that. They have the honor and the privilege to have that quality time with their kid, with their youths; it was a memorable lifetime treasure. It really, really was," DeDionisio said.

Shared enjoyment

During closing comments, Mike Laufenburger, esteemed leading knight with the Bristol Bay Elks No. 2687, thanked the soldiers and their families for their service and sacrifices. He also acknowledged the volunteer captains, sponsors and community members who made the derby possible and he thanked DeDionisio and Babiak for coordinating the event.

"We hope you all enjoyed your time with us as much as we enjoyed our time with you. We are already looking forward to next year's Second Annual Naknek River American Heroes Silver Salmon Derby," Laufenburger said.

Derby awards were given during the closing which included a barbecue at the Laufenburger's home and a slide show with photos from the weekend.

First prize, which was a chance to come back next summer with airfare and a guided service, went to Staff Sgt. Anthony Mosholder and Sierra Markham who caught the biggest salmon. Second and third prizes were fishing rods and gift certificates, and the rest of the teams received plaques saying they participated in the first Bristol Bay Elks American Heroes Silver Salmon Derby.

"It is a partnership that will remain for years to come. Lifetime friendships and memories have been made without any doubt," said DeDionisio at the closing.

The teams went home with the fish they caught, which the community made sure were filleted and boxed. According to DeDionisio, some of the soldiers were already making plans to revisit Bristol Bay during family vacations.