It’s a beautiful fall day on the Oak Island Pier. The sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, and the fish are biting. Well, sometimes they are, anyway.
Joe Meno of Fayetteville has caught about 15 fish over the past five days. His daughter, Patsy Brewer, also of Fayetteville has accompanied Meno on the trip and explains the fish aren’t much to write home about size-wise.
“Some are like nuggets, but we put them in the freezer anyway,” she said with a smile. “They can be an appetizer.”
Meno and Brewer are visiting Oak Island to participate in the Oak Island Peer Fishin’ Festival, hosted by Operation North State, a nonprofit organization that provides recreational outings for wounded warriors and disabled veterans.
Meno served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army for 30 years and has participated in the event for the past four years. The 87-year-old explained for him, it isn’t all about fishing.
“It’s relaxing and takes my mind off things,” he said. “It’s great therapy.”
That’s exactly what Operation North State founder Terry Snyder had in mind when he started the organization in December 2010. Snyder, who lives in the Winston-Salem area, wanted to do something to help disabled veterans.
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While Operation North State hosts several recreational events, including a monthly cycling outing, he admits the veterans’ favorites are the ones that involve fishing. While most occur in the Piedmont area, there are three at the coast, including the one on Oak Island, which is one of the two fishing events where veterans can bring their families.
He explained the fishing events are called “festivals” because it’s all about “fellowship and friendship.” Operation North State doesn’t cover the cost of travel or accommodations, but it does cover the expenses associated with their fishing excursion, including providing bait, rods and reels, and tackle, if needed.
Snyder said they also typically provide breakfast and either lunch or dinner for the participants. Due to an outpouring of support from the community, those at the Oak Island event enjoyed breakfast and lunch each day, as well as two dinners. Snyder said he’s already had organizations express a desire to help next year.
“With communities like this one, the support is off the charts,” he said.
Volunteers are also essential in pulling off the event, and many say they get as much of the experience as the veterans they are helping.
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“I look forward to this week more than anything else,” said volunteer Lucy Perdue of Southport. “I get so blessed.”
As she makes the rounds, Perdue stops to greet Bruce Hayden, a 92-year-old Korean War Veteran who lives in Southport.
Hayden, who is accompanied by his two sons, has participated for several years and makes sure it’s on his calendar each year. For him, the event is about the camaraderie found with other disabled veterans.
“It’s getting more and more difficult to find veterans these days, especially Korean War vets,” he said. “There’s a few of us left.”
To learn more about Operation North State, visit www.operationnorthstate.com.
