 | | At the last Military Appreciation Day event, Marines and sailors took to the high seas in search of the big one. Navy corpsman Cart Town found
him in this 27-pound American red snapper. Sign-up online for this year's event. Jamie Cameron
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Free fishing trip planned for service members
Jamie Cameron
Assistant Managing Editor
Have you ever caught yourself day-dreaming about reeling in the big one?
A Wilmington-based group of military supporters and volunteers has formed Military Appreciation Day Inc. to help active-duty and reserve military members and their families do just that.
The non-profit group plans to hold its third annual Military Appreciation Day event June 7 in Morehead City, N.C. And when these guys want to show their appreciation for the commitment and sacrifice of those in military service, it means taking them fishing.
Last year, more than 250 service members were invited aboard 80 personally-owned boats for a day of fishing North Carolina's sounds and offshore waters, free of charge. Back at the docks, successful fishing parties off-loaded gamefish of all types, including king mackerel, bluefish, mahi mahi, grouper, snapper and sea bass.
This year, Military Appreciation Day Inc. is looking for an even bigger turnout for and even bigger event.
Media Director Steve Stevens said the registration period opened March 15 and will run through May 25. Those interested need only go online to www.militaryappreciationday.org and sign-up. "We've already got a pretty good flow of sign-ups," said Stevens. "We've set a goal of 1,000 participants for this year's event."
With this year's Military Appreciation Day set to take place along the Morehead City waterfront, organizers hope to bring a higher public awareness to the service members and their families stationed in Eastern North Carolina. "We've been looking for a place that would be more accessible to the public," explained Stevens. "A place where people could come by and just shake hands with some of these service members and thank them for what they do. The city of Morehead City has been great to us -- offering the use of two waterfront parks for our barbecue and entertainment events."
Even those military members and their dependents who are not interested in fishing are invited to participate. The day will include land-based activities, including musical entertainment and sight-seeing around the historic port. "These families sacrifice just as much as the service members do," said Stevens. "We'll have plenty of things to do for non-anglers and small children while we wait for the anglers to get back to the docks."
One of last year's participants felt so moved by the time and effort Military Appreciation Day Inc. volunteers put in to making the event a success, he wrote: "I would like to take this time to thank you and your entire staff for the time taken to pull off the event.
It is a feeling that is hard to describe, knowing as well as seeing the amount of appreciation that our community has for us. It is very easy to say 'We support our troops,' but you and all of the great people that came together on their free time really shows the quote to be true. Again thank you for your support."
It's a sentiment Stevens and the rest of the Military Appreciation Day Inc. workers strive to earn from everyone who participates. "Our goal is to show them how much we value their service and thank those who serve America."
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