NOXEN — As Troy Murphy gently tossed his fly line into the cool waters of Beaver Run on Friday, he was hoping to do more than hook a trout.
The purpose behind each cast wasn’t defined by the fish that Murphy reeled in, but rather by the photo pinned to his shirt.
Murphy, of Wapwallopen, was one of 12 anglers participating in the second annual Fish for the Fallen Tournament at Patriots Cove. The event honors the memory of veterans and first responders who have lost their lives, and every cast was made to remember those who are gone.
Participants wore a badge with a photo of the veteran or first responder they were fishing for, and Murphy said he was proud to represent the memory of Spc. Chad Edmundson, a Pennsylvania native who was killed in action at the age of 20 while serving in Iraq in 2009. Edmundson, of Williamsburg, was in the Second Battalion, 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
“A tournament like this is a great idea,” said Murphy, who is an Army veteran. “When you lose a buddy, you remember them in almost anything you do.”
Six two-person teams, along with volunteer mentors, competed in the tournament along a one-mile stretch of Beaver Run. Patriots Cove, a non-profit organization that uses outdoor experiences to aid veterans and first responders injured in the line of duty, stocked the stream with several hundred trout. Teams measured each fish that was caught, and awards were given out for most cumulative inches and the largest and smallest fish.
Teams were sponsored by area businesses and proceeds from the event will be used to fund future events at Patriots Cove.
Jeff Swire, a military veteran who founded Patriots Cove with his wife, Melissa, said some of the organization’s events had been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the tournament was allowed to happen after Wyoming County was moved to the yellow phase.
“We’re glad we can start doing these things again to help veterans,” Swire said. “The biggest part of healing is the conversation about what’s troubling you. Fishing breaks down the barriers and opens the conversation.”
Since Patriots Cove’s inception in 2017, Swire and a host of volunteers have transformed it into an 18-acre sanctuary, making numerous fish habitat improvements to Beaver Run and building a facility that connects veterans to the outdoors as a form of healing.
On Friday, even though the competition was serious among the anglers, a memorial service held at the end of the event emphasized the real motivation behind the tournament.
“Winning is secondary to honoring the person,” said West Pittston resident John Stegura, who is a volunteer for Patriots Cove. “We use this place — the stream and fishing — as a way to help those who need it. We don’t want them to become one of the statistics.”
State Sen. Lisa Baker stopped by to watch the tournament and said all of the work at Patriots Cove emphasizes the true meaning of sacrifice and service. The outdoors presents a perfect venue to reflect and remember fallen veterans and first responders, she added.
“I’m glad they were able to hold this event under the yellow-phase, because it would be devastating not to be able to do this and build on the tradition this tournament has started,” she said. “It’s a tragedy to lose veterans and first responders, but an event like this creates a positive memory.”
For some, it’s a memory that will never be forgotten.
Army veteran Brad Snyder drove from his home in Bellwood, Blair County, to serve as a volunteer fishing mentor for the tournament. Snyder served with Edmundson and said he couldn’t think of a better way than to utilize fishing to remember his friend.
“Chad was an outdoorsman and all he did was fish. This is the perfect setting to honor him,” Snyder said. “It really makes a difference when you’re with other vets and you’re fishing to honor someone we lost.”
- This story appeared in The Citizens’ Voice newspaper.
