Wounded Warriors, Marblehead fishermen team up for fun, healing

MARBLEHEAD – Close to 50 wounded local veterans and their guests spent Saturday morning fishing alongside dozens of Marblehead fishermen as part of a project to give back to those who have served our nation.The fishing and boating event was the result of a months-long collaboration between Maddie’s Anglers Club, a Marblehead fishing club; Raytheon, a defense company in Tewksbury; the Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead; and the national Wounded Warrior Project, which works with wounded veterans.View a photo gallery.”I feel like I’m home,” said Ret. Sgt. Major Paul McManus, choking up slightly.McManus served in the Army for 33 years before retiring in 2009 after an injury forced doctors to put a plate in his neck.The lifelong fisherman spent the day on “Invigorator,” captained by Marblehead resident Price Williams and his first mate, Charlie Kace. McManus brought along his 14-year-old daughter, Hayley, to enjoy the day as well.”To spend it with my daughter was big for me because I’ve been away off and on,” McManus said.Williams and Kace said they were honored offer their boat and time to fish with McManus.”Anything to support our troops, our heroes,” said Williams as he, Kace and his father, Tom Williams, lounged with McManus and Hayley on the yacht club’s deck after the fishing trip.Price Williams said he and Kace learned a thing or two from McManus out on the water.”He’s already an expert fisherman,” Price Williams said. “He was showing us the ropes out there.”Saturday’s event was the largest boating event Wounded Warriors has ever participated in, said the nonprofit’s outreach coordinator, Linda Perry.”This is the smoothest run event I’ve ever done,” she said.Maddie’s Anglers Club President Chip Wolcott and event coordinator Matt Dolan worked with Raytheon Wounded Warriors Program Manager Bob Connors to organize the event.Dolan said back in November when they floated the idea, they were expecting maybe five fishermen to offer their boats for the trip. What they got was much more.”Within eight hours we had 43 boats volunteer,” Dolan said.Dolan said the club’s members understood the importance of giving back to veterans.”They’re who provide us with the opportunity to do this,” he said, waving his hand over the water. “And we wanted to say thank you, and the best way to do it was to share it with them.”Many of the boaters and veterans got an early start Saturday, radioing to each other the best fishing spots for mackerel, bluefish and striped bass. By noon, the morning’s heavy fog had lifted as the boats rolled into the yacht club’s dock to unload their catches.Veteran Steve Bohn, a Peabody resident, showed off the 40-inch, 30-pound striped bass he caught while riding in Capt. Ben Cleary’s and First Mate Deanna McMahon’s boat, “The Other Putter.”It took Bohn 15 minutes to roll in the giant fish, which Cleary said was so heavy they first thought it was a rock.”I’m still a little sore,” Bohn joked, rubbing his forearm on the dock.Bohn served in the 101st Airborne Division of the Army when he was wounded in Afghanistan in 2008. He is in the process of moving to Florida to study political science under a separate Wounded Warrior program and said he was grateful to take a break from the stressful transition to spend time on the water.”It’s heartwarming,” Bohn said of the energy and effort the Marblehead fishermen put into Saturday’s event. ” ? To know that everything we went through wasn’t for nothing and people understand and care.”Cleary said he and McMahon were equally happy to spend the day with Bohn.”Anytime we can give back to somebody who defends your liberties and your freedoms, we jumped at the opportunity,” Cleary said. “It was just the most exciting opportunity to say to these guys ?Thank you so much for defending our country.'”Perry, of Wounded Warriors, said events like these help create a community of support for veterans who may be isolated because of their injuries or unable to enjoy activities they used to love, like fi