Brianna Bishop
Greetings My Fishing Cape Cod! My name is Brianna Bishop (friends call me "Bri" for short) and I work with a new non-profit organization called Rifles to Rods.
Today I am very excited to share with you a guest blog post that MFCC founder Ryan Collins asked my team and I to create, specifically for My Fishing Cape Cod.
On behalf of the entire Rifles to Rods team, I would like to thank you for reading this post, and for giving us the opportunity to share our story and our mission, with you here today.
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The "Rifles To Rods" Story
In a small town just outside of Boston, longtime friends Ryan Puzzo and Gerard McAllister sit beneath an American flag, planning their next big fishing trip. But this trip is not your average angling adventure between fishing buddies.
This trip will be for combat veterans who selflessly risked it all, so that you and I may live without fear of enemies both foreign and domestic. This fishing trip will be for American heroes.
The transition from life as a deployed soldier to life as a civilian, cannot be comprehended by those who have not experienced it.
When former US Army Sergeant Ryan Puzzo returned home from his deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, after serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, he went from protecting the lives of his comrades as a truck commander during convoy operations, to being honked at for sitting too long at a stoplight.
Oftentimes veterans such as Rifles To Rods co-founder Ryan Puzzo (pictured above) have too few options when it comes to remedying their frustrations.
"It’s tough transitioning back to civilian life. Overseas you have a mission and a purpose, back home no one gets it or understands the sacrifice you made” says Puzzo.
Luckily, Puzzo had a friend, Gerard McAllister, who understood what he was going through. McAllister is a testament to the healing powers of fishing.
Rifles To Rods co-founder Gerard McAllister (pictured above) understands the therapeutic and healing powers of fishing.
“After being prescribed painkillers for a back problem, I found myself slipping down the deadly slope of addiction" says McAllister.
"Fortunately I turned to fishing and found it to be great therapy, both in helping me get clean, and also to deal with the day-to-day pain."
According to McAllister, "the tug" is his new drug. In fact the very phrase "the tug is the drug" has become a new mantra among the group.
The Mission of Rifles To Rods
Puzzo, like McAllister, found that fishing offered an escape from the stress that was so greatly needed. With that realization, the non profit Rifles to Rods was born in 2016.
A federally certified 501(c)(3) charity, Rifles to Rods (aka RTR) has made it their mission to share with veterans the benefits that fishing can provide. Though starting as a small local charity, RTR has big dreams.
Gaining their 501(c)(3) status in December, 2016, RTR has already taken several dozen veterans out fishing, and has many trips booked for this upcoming season, catering to veterans of all ages and abilities.
In 2017 the group's goal is to take 60 veterans out on the water.
"Our overall plan is to acquire a larger boat in the 23-30 foot range, docked at a slip at a marina, where we can constantly take veterans out, daily, weekly, monthly."
Once we do that and have a ‘template’ for how we operate in the New England area, and we would love to spread our mission throughout the United States.” says Co-Founder Puzzo.
RTR also plans to establish a line of top quality apparel combined with custom artwork. With that, RTR hopes to create a cult following of both veterans and fisherman alike; with every dollar raised going to help our vets.
While the main focus of RTR is to offer veterans a coping mechanism that doesn't involve conventional therapy, they do have a Licensed Mental Health Clinician on their team, in case veterans want an extra set of ears to vent to, without the pressures that usually accompany therapeutic services.
“The cool thing about Steve our mental health clinician, is he understands that words like 'help', 'trauma', and 'weakness' sometimes belittle the weight of what these vets are dealing with, and doesn't accurately describe the services they want."
Rifles to Rods offers angling services suitable for the desires and skill levels of all who fish with them. From fly fishing the scenic rivers of New England and dropping lines in the salty Atlantic, to providing free fishing gear and licenses to veterans, Rifles to Rods aims to embody it's motto by getting veterans out on the water to ‘put a rod in their hand and a smile on their face.’
If you would like to learn more about Rifles to Rods or how you can help to accomplish their mission, please visit www.riflestorods.org today.
Tight lines!
A fantastic idea. As I am a veteran myself I think you’re doing a wonderful thing I have some down on the cape I have a few contacts with commercial boats please contact me if I can help. My email address is [email protected]
What a Fantastic idea, Veterans are what made and Keep this country what it is, its so nice to give back to them.
Stephen,
On behalf of all of us here at Rifles to Rods, I thank you for taking the time to read about our story. As you know, our veterans provide an invaluable and mostly thankless service to us, so we have made it our goal to give them the relaxation they deserve. Please feel free to share our message with any veterans you know, that alone helps our mission immeasurably!
Thank you again,
Bri
Thank you for your contribution to MFCC. Being an OIF/OEF veteran myself, I understand hyper-vigilance, and the calming effect of being out on the water.
Brian,
First, all of us here at Rifles to Rods would like to thank you for serving this beautiful country. You are the reason we do what we do. We hope that in the future, RTR can show it’s appreciation for your honorable service with a day of relaxation, on us. We would also like to thank you for taking the time to read about us, feel free to spread the word!
Sincerely,
Bri
Brian, thank you for your service! Cheers and tight lines!
Great story. Ryan the link doesn’t work to their site.
Thank you for the heads up! The link should be working now.
From the RTR team to you, thank you for taking some time to learn about our mission, every person who hears our story is invaluable to us. If you know any veterans we can take fishing, feel free to send them our way!
Thank you,
Bri
Sounds like a great organization. Thank you for doing such good work!
Dex,
On behalf of the Rifles to Rods team, I want to thank you for taking a moment to read about our mission. We sincerely appreciate your support! If you know any veterans who would enjoy a day out on the water, share our story and have them check us out!
Thank you again,
Bri
Dex, thank you for the kind words.. Cheers and tight lines!