Send Sean Adams Fishing in Alaska

Cpl Sean Adams (Retired - USMC)This is Sean Adams, he is a Marine who was wounded in action in Afghanistan in February 2011. As a result of his injuries, he lost his legs and had damage to his hands.  When I first met Sean, he shared pictures from his recent duck hunts and we spent time talking about fishing and other interests.  Sean is definitely a fan of the outdoors. 

But........much to my dismay, Sean has never caught a Salmon!

Sean is your typical 20 something, but does possess that certain honor that you only find in Marines.  He wasted no time telling me how the Marines dominate the armed forces and that the Army 'just isn't what it used to be!' I guess he overlooked that I am retired from the Army, but like I said.......he is your typical '20 something!' And it actually made me smile.


Sean has been spending a lot of time restoring his 1970 Chevelle.  I look forward to taking a ride in it.

Oh, and he has a BADASS Truck too!
and a great dog too.
So here is how I get involved.

My name is Rick Jones and I am a fellow disabled veteran.  I live in the Atlanta area and I found Sean in my Atlanta community.  

Below is a picture from 1983 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  I am recovering from a broken neck. I was paralyzed and had to learn how to walk again.  I got hurt during training while stationed with the 902d Military Intelligence Unit at Fort Meade, MD.  Accidents happen and fortunately I was close to Walter Reed. That is Captain Dieter on my left - she looked after me while I was recovering. She was just one example of the many wonderful people who worked at this hospital.
Just like Sean, both our careers were cut short because of injury.  I was injured in training, but Sean was injured in combat.  I spent 5 months at Walter Reed, but Sean spent 19 months at Walter Reed. I walked out on my legs, but Sean walked out on prosthetics.
Sean will tell you that he is lucky to be alive and I know I am lucky to be walking.  I think when you have endured some of the things we have, it can help you understand what is truly important.

Pivot to FISHING

I like to fish. I grew up on Lake Erie and have had the good fortune to fish a lot. I have met folks all over the world and have a lot of friends that enjoy it as much as me.  During the Christmas of 2013, I persuaded a dear friend of mine to join us for a Keys vacation.  His Father had just passed away and he was back in Georgia for the funeral services.  The trip was a good opportunity to deal with the grief of losing a parent.  
I have known Nat Haley for nearly 30 years and his passion for fishing is epic.  He is a guide in Alaska and while we were in the Keys he connected with some friends and fellow fishing guides and we had a blast fishing together. 

It was during this trip we began discussing what it would take to put a wheelchair bound fisherman into a boat to pursue serious gamefish.  If you are in a room with 4-5 fishing guides, who are discussing how to accomodate a challenged fisherman, they begin talking over each other with enthusiasm about making it happen.  I loved listening.

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This is a picture of me and Nat from a few years ago, we were on a fishing trip in Central America.  He just realized that the terrible smell in the front of that small plane was my feet.  I think I had tears on that one?
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This video is from my trip to Katmai in 2006 - these are the fishing waters that we are sending Sean to - that is one of my boat mates on the trip - Todd.  He is an avid fisherman too.
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Nat and I continued to talk about it.

After you have fished as much as we have, your interest can shift from pursuit of fish, to watching how fishing can impact others. 

We would joke about actually trying to make it happen.  Nat would always confidently say....."I got the boat, I can make the boat happen....."
Nat has been a guide at Katmai Lodge in Alaska for 15 years. He has seen owners come and go.  When Nat raised the possibility of hosting a disabled fisherman at the lodge, the recent owners were thrilled to have an opportunity and agreed to host Sean for the fishing experience of his life. 


Alagnak River @ Katmai Lodge

Katmai Lodge - fishing in remote Alaska


So if your are scoring this, you have:

1 - Fisherman who has never caught a Salmon
1- Fishing guide who is willing to provide Sean with a first class guided fishing experience
1- Fishing Lodge that is ready and willing to offer their hospitality to Sean and welcome him to their world class fishing grounds.

What's Missing?

You.

You can be the 4th piece of this puzzle.  

Your generosity can lead to a lifetime of memories - for you and Sean.

Here is a breakdown on the anticipated costs - we decided that we should also consider the expenses for a travel partner on this trip too.

This will be the experience of a lifetime and triples in value if you get to share it with someone.

Lodge fishing 4 days x 2 = $9000
R/T Airfare - Atlanta to Anchorage (with transfers to the lodge and flyouts) = $3500

Sean can only manage 10 days away and we would like to be able to provide an Alaska vacation beyond the fishing at the lodge.  There is no sense making this extensive trip without time to do some general sightseeing of this wonderful state.  His travel partner will be extremely valuable in navigating the country following their return from the fishing lodge.

We are budgeting an additional $7500 for their sightseeing in Alaska.  We want him to have the option of sightseeing by air, which can be very expensive. 

We are grateful for your consideration.   We have never done anything like this before and we are dependent on your generosity. We actually believe that with Sean's help, we can make this happen for other guys like him, but that is a discussion for another day.

You can follow our Facebook activity at:
Seans Facebook Page

We will keep you posted and thanks for digging deep to make this happen.

He's a good kid - he'll never forget this and neither will you.


Rick, Nat, and Sean