[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  WARRIORS AND QUIET WATERS FOUNDATION

 Mr. WALSH. Madam President, I wish to recognize the remarkable 
work of the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation.
  Located in Bozeman, MT, the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation 
helps reintegrate combat-injured veterans and active servicemembers 
upon their return from deployment through fly fishing and other high-
quality therapeutic recreation throughout Southwest Montana.
  As the Senate's only Iraq war combat veteran, I know firsthand the 
cost of war. Men and women who were injured in combat pay a price for 
the rest of their lives. Our Nation must now heal a new generation of 
American heroes that carry with them wounds that are both visible and 
invisible.
  As a nation, we took our citizens and turned them into the best 
warriors the world has ever seen. Now, it is time we take those 
warriors and turn them back into citizens.
  In 2007, the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation left shore with 14 
wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to drop a line in 
one of Montana's pristine rivers.
  The goal was to build hope, facilitate camaraderie, and find serenity 
through fly fishing. That is exactly what they accomplished.
  Commanded by retired Marine Col. Eric Hastings and Dr. Volney Steele, 
Warriors and Quiet Waters has provided over 300 veterans and their 
spouses a fly fishing experience complete with world-class guides on 
some of our Nation's blue ribbon streams.
  But, the mission is not complete.
  More than 50,000 American servicemembers have been injured in combat 
over the past 13 years, and thousands more suffer from post-traumatic 
stress and traumatic brain injuries as a result of their service to our 
Nation.
  The Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation has identified a model for 
the difficult reintegration process that so many of our young veterans 
will be going through as a result of a decade of war.
  Their commitment to those who served so bravely on our behalf is more 
than commendable--it is inspiring and is a strong example of how we can 
fulfill our Nation's responsibility to those who have served.

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