What
do a weekend warrior, bass fishing, Triton Boats, Mercury Outboards,
Copher’s Boat Center, and the American flag have in common? Easy
Arkansas Air National Guard soldier Master Sergeant Jodie Haralson. Maybe,
I should start at the beginning. You see Haralson loves to go
bass fishing; in fact, he fishes in bass tournaments like other weekend
warriors, drives a brand new Triton 21 HP Elite boat powered by a 250-hp
Mercury Outboard which he bought at Copher’s Boat Center, and
the American flag…that’s another story altogether.
The story really
begins when I met Haralson down on the Arkansas River during a Bassmaster
Elite Series Tournament. He offered to take
me out so I could get photos of Bassmaster Elite Series anglers including
his fishing buddy Fred Roumbanis from Oklahoma. From there, we
stayed in touch with email and Face Book. That’s when
Haralson sent me a message that he had mailed me an American flag. Wow…an
American flag I thought, but it gets better. This American flag had
been flown by the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron in combat over Afghanistan
on board a B-1B Bomber supporting operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom
in honor of ...Brad Wiegmann. I was blown away by the gesture. Not
only did they fly over Afghanistan on February 11, 2010, but they dropped
three GBU-31 2,000-pound JDAMS and six GBU-38 500-pound JDAMS providing
ground support for American troops. I guess the bad guys also
got blown away by the gesture. The flag was mailed to me after
Haralson sent a donation to the Air Force Aid Society (www.afas.org)
and Wounded Warrior Fund (www.woundedwarriorproject.org). This
pass year, Haralson has donated money for 65 flags that were flown
over in combat. “Every flag has a story behind it; one
person he knew was dealing with the death of a family member, others
were fishing buddies back home, some individuals from the city of Fort
Smith, and I sent one to mom and dad,” said Haralson. Haralson
even sent one to B.A.S.S. so they could fly it during one of their
Bassmaster Elite Series Tournaments. It was raised during the
Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament at Lake Guntersville in Alabama
to honor the soldiers servicing our country here and overseas.
I
received the American flag while Haralson was still overseas, so
we decided that once he got back to the states to go fishing together.
For me a day is just another day; maybe, I am scheduled to do a photo
shoot of a professional angler or an article to write. Haralson
on the other hand was counting the days down to coming home and going
fishing. He had ordered a new Triton 21 HP Elite bass boat with
a 250-hp Mercury Outboard that would be waiting on him at Copher’s
Boat Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Before he left to return
home, we had already set up a date and time to fish.
Haralson
pulled up to the ramp area with his new boat in tow. It
was a sharp looking boat with sponsor logos on the sides and carpet.
In no time flat, the boat was in the water and Haralson was casting
and catching fish. You could tell he loved to go bass fishing. A
true weekend warrior due to his commitment to the Arkansas Air National
Guard, he had missed most of tournament season so far. “I
am fishing in some local tournaments and will fish in the Big Bass
Tournament on the Arkansas River out of the Lake Dardanelle pool,” said
Haralson. As the day progressed, Haralson explained what
it was like being a soldier overseas. “It’s a sacrifice,” Haralson
continued, “the biggest thing is being away and doing without
some of the luxuries that you get accustomed to having. I send
the flags out to remind the people back home what is going on overseas,
so they don’t forget. It’s easy to forget unless
you have a family member over there.” It made me think
of all of the men and women overseas and here at home proudly serving
or have lost their lives for this country. In honor of them,
I will fly the flag that Haralson sent to me on this 4th of July. Haralson
put it best when he said, “This freedom we have didn’t
come free and some soldiers have given the ultimate sacrifice.” With
that said, I put the American flag he had sent me back inside the storage
area and weekend warrior Master Sergeant Jodie Haralson made his last
cast of the day from his new Triton 21 HP Elite boat powered by a 250-hp
Mercury Outboard.
Brad
Wiegmann is a full time fishing guide on Beaver lake and
Lake SWEPCO in Northwest Arkansas. Brad guides for Largemouth,
Spotted, Smallmouth, Stripers and White Bass. He is also a free-lance
writer who's weekly column "Speaking of Fishing" appears
weekly in several local newspapers. You may also see him doing
seminars, working outdoor shows or featured in outdoor magazines such
as BASSMASTER Magazine, Outdoor life and Arkansas Sportsman. He
also fishes the FLW Tour, Stren and local open tournaments. He
is currently on the Pro staff, promotional staff and guide programs
of numerous tackle manufactures, lure companies, and fishing related
companies. You can contact him at (479) 756-5279, at bwiegmann@cox.net or
visit his website at www.bradwiegmann.com for
more information.
