N. Colgin

When You are in Afghanistan sometimes it can be hard to imagine you will ever return home to fish, hunt or simply enjoy this beautiful land God has blessed us with. After being injured, the possibility of enjoying those adventures seems even further out of reach. But John, you and WWIA are definitely the light at the end of the tunnel. This weekend on our trip to Phelps, WI, you said something that will resonate with me for a long time “war makes strong men stronger and weak men weaker”. I never thought about it that way until I thought about what you said while looking at the heroes and battle buddies to my left and right and noticing how strong they were. It’s the men and women that attend WWIA trips that are the strong individuals you speak of. Do me a favor though, never forget that you are strong too. Just these few days around you and the guys in Phelps have me feeling like I can conquer the world. You helped me remember we’re not victims, we’re veterans and the only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves. There’s no question you are changing lives of many individuals. Keep it up and never forget you’re a game changer. I hope to one day repay you for the changes you have helped influence in my life, by living up to the same standards that you do. I also hope to help the organization in anyway possible because it’s effects are unrivaled to everyone graced by it’s footprint. No matter how many fish I catch in my life I will always remember the ones I caught this weekend on a clear lake in WI, next to you and the heroes, through wind and rain.