Brotherhood on the battlefield, on the water

While this isn’t necessarily a shark story, it is still a story that is worth telling about brotherhood on the water. -JSB

FORT MYERS BEACH — There wasn’t much talk of firefights and war. Unless, of course, it was to rag on former commanding officers or the reprimands they earned for doing the sorts of things that young men were prone to do.

Instead, there was talk of kids and trucks and baseball and life. Mostly, there was talk of fishing — boastful stories punctuated in military jargon.

That was sort of the point.

Four former United States Marines, in varying stages of transition back to civilian lives, converged on Southwest Florida thanks to Reunite The Fight’s Operation Semper Fish for the opening day of gag grouper season in the Gulf of Mexico. The non-profit group’s mission was to provide former members of the armed services a chance to reconnect with fellow soldiers. The group hopes to make Operation Semper Fish an annual occurrence along with its other nationwide events, including golf events, hunting trips and charity races.

“We chose Southwest Florida because I’ve made a lot of great friends here that have helped out myself and my family,” OSF event director Sean Simmonds said.

Simmonds became involved with the non-profit Reunite The Fight after a similar program, The Freedom Alliance, which is supported locally by the Grouper Grapple Tournament, helped him overcome his symptoms of PTSD and depression that he experienced after serving multiple tours with the United States Marine Corps. He brought along fellow retired Marines, Kyle Haydel, Greg Joiner, Thomas Baker and Aaron Gay to hopefully have some of the same saltwater therapy that got his life back on track.

“This community helped change my life and I wanted to share a glimpse of how great this community is,” Simmonds said. “They just want to give back to our veterans. It’s an extremely special place.”

Varied Paths to the Same Destination

For Joiner, the trip was an opportunity to reacclimate himself to civilian life. Joiner, who left the Marines in 2016 as a corporal, was a third-generation member of the armed services — a legacy started by his grandfather in Vietnam. With the exception of helping out coaching his kid’s Little League teams, Joiner had largely shut himself off from the rest of the world because of anxiety issues.

“This is the first time I’ve really been back into society,” Joiner said.

For Baker, who left as a private first class, the trip was a way to meet new people. For Haydel, a former staff sergeant and current reservist, it was a chance to reconnect with faces he’s only known through phone calls and social media since their service together ended. For former corporal Gay, who at 38 was the eldest of the group, the trip was a way to act like a kid again.

“It’s a good feeling, especially when we’re doing something that we love,” Haydel said. “Being outdoors.”

With plenty of time before the sun would rise over Estero Bay, the soldiers loaded up onto boats, generously captained by locals like Stephen Hansman, who was donating his time to the cause. The boats, a Cobia and a Boston Whaler, were on a plane and headed offshore before the sun started peaking up over the horizon. The water was glassy smooth —not even a chop — all the way out the fishing grounds 80 miles from shore. Visibility stretched all the way to the horizon — when it wasn’t melding into the turquoise of a nearly cloudless sky. The water was clear too. The glimmer of the baits descending down was visible nearly all the way to the bottom. All of those who were familiar with these waters agreed that it was clearer than they’ve seen it it years. Especially being on the tail end of Hurricane Alberto, which side-swiped the area the weekend prior and the annual dumping of water from Lake Okeechobee already making its way down the Calusa River.

Mission Accomplished

The first few spots didn’t yield a whole lot. Perhaps it was the complete lack of current. Or the full moon. Red grouper, short but in abundance, came over the rails only to be unhooked and sometimes photographed before being returned. A couple made it to the ice box. So did a handful of lane snapper and Key West Grunts. There were plenty of hand-sized sand perch and blue runners to fill the livewells.

With enough fish on ice to make a small regiment’s worth of tacos, the boats made one last run to look for the big fish at “the arcs,” an artificial reef composed of old radio towers and other debris. As the boats anchored and tied up, barracuda and sharks came circling up from the structure below. The soldiers were treated to the aerial acrobatics — and several severed leaders — thanks to the ‘cuda. The sharks — or possibly a goliath grouper — were responsible for a cut off or two as well.

“Some of these fish are bigger than any of the ones I’ve ever caught,” Simmonds said. “I’m just glad I got to witness them.”

All the commotion and the chum and chunked-up squirrelfish finally brought up what we had come looking for when a trio of greater amberjack swam up to check things out next to the boat. The largest of the three slammed a blue runner and immediately started spooling off the 50-pound braided line from the Penn Fierce spinning reel. After a arm-tiring fight, Joiner was able to wrestle the reef donkey to the boat. Hayden had his back with the gaff and was able to hook it cleanly through the mouth.

Sandbar Time

It was 34 pounds and perfect size for a smoker. It was also out of season so after a few pics worthy of a Facebook profile, it was sent back on its way safely. Mission accomplished. For the rest of the weekend, the boys were treated like rockstars. Everyone that saw the flags or the tattoos, both former service members and concerned patriots, made it a point to thank them for their service.

The soldiers finished their weekend with something to talk about. More importantly, they have a whole new group of brothers, bonded through battles and forged through fishing, to talk about it with. And that was sort of the point.

“Being out there on the open water and catching fish brought back memories of not just how special our bond is between each other but, on a personal level, that Marines are always going to be there for each other,” Joiner said.

“I made some brothers out here on this fishing boat,” Baker added.

For more information on how to contribute to Operation Semper Fish and Reunite The Fight, go to reunitethefight.org