Twenty years ago, a group of patriotic citizens from here in Victoria came together to find a way to honor those who were sacrificing for our freedom as the war in Iraq & Afghanistan was full-blown. What started out as a day of fishing for 55 wounded heroes from Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), plus a few family members, grew to almost 900 in a couple of years.

Today, we have changed things up a bit to where we now have a couple of fishing tournaments for our heroes, the Big Event in the Fall and the Purple Heart Classic Tournament in the Spring. Each boat has a Purple Heart recipient on it, and fishing will be on May 1st this year.

Again, this is our 20th year. Hard to believe!!!

Your support means everything to us, and we cannot serve these heroes without it. We are now much more than a couple of fishing tournaments for the Combat Wounded. We support Veterans of all eras during the year, from building wheelchair ramps to fixing roofs on their homes. We made three trips to the Hill Country after the July flood, taking requested goods and equipment, as Veterans there were also affected. We put out the word to our supporters, and they came through as they always do. The fire department in Center Point asked for box fans, and we delivered 175 of them in one trip.

Last year, there were over 2,400 American flags posted, each honoring a Veteran of their choice. If you have not been able to see the Golden Crescent Honor Pavilion at WWFOH, please do so. You may also purchase a brick paver to permanently honor your Veteran for only $35 if you have posted a flag in the WWFOH.

Thanks again for your support. Our take is that if not for the heroes we honor and those who went before them, there are no other charities to support. It begins with these men and women.

-Ron Kocian, President