Grove Business Holds Annual Fishing Event Honoring Veterans

After a tough year, a company in Grove is bringing Oklahoma veterans together.

On a perfect day for fishing, Pritchard's Guide Service held its 8th annual Warriors of the Water event.

What started out as a group of friends taking a boat to catch paddlefish turned into a special veteran get-together to catch up and catch some fish.

It's a day U.S. Army veteran Nolan Starberry has been waiting for.

"I'm pretty excited," Starberry said. "I haven't got to go fishing in three years. I'm legally blind, so I can't go to the lake by myself. So I really appreciate the opportunity.”

Veterans in five boats spent three hours trying to catch four paddlefish.

The COVID-19 pandemic has kept most of these fishermen at home, but event organizers said events like this one bring hope that things are starting to return to normal.

"You know, you go back to regular life with all the civilians, it's nice to be able to get together with people with shared experiences and kind of re-bond over all of that," veteran Shanna White said.

"Oh, it's huge," Warriors of the Water organizer Molly Pritchard said. "Even just getting to know some of the veterans out with us today, I learned a lot of them live by themselves. So I just think about that in regards to COVID(-19) hitting and everybody being able to get together." 

The veterans won donated prizes from people in the Grove community.