Last fall a group of nine soldiers arrived in Menemsha to compete in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. The soldiers had been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and had traveled to the Island from Fort Belvoir in Virginia and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where they were recovering. The group came for respite, to breathe in the sea air and have a moment of normalcy.
“We like to think of it as an experiment in extreme saltwater therapy,” Bob Nixon said this week. Mr. Nixon and his wife Sarah have hosted the American Heroes Saltwater Challenge for the past four years. “This was a soldier’s first experience outside of the hospital and the family’s chance to be back in the real world and see what their new normal is like.”
This past fall Mr. Nixon, a documentary filmmaker, turned the camera on the five-day retreat. The documentary, called American Heroes Fishing Challenge, airs Monday, May 27, at 10 p.m. on the National Geographic channel.
Nearly all of the soldiers filmed in the documentary attended a premiere at the U.S. Capitol building on Tuesday night. The event was hosted by Senators John McCain, Mary Landrieu, Lisa Murkowski and Sheldon Whitehouse.
Heroes of the American Saltwater Challenge pose in Menemsha during 2012 Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. Their experience has been chronicled in the new National Geogrpahic documentary American Heroes Fishing Challenge. – Peter SimonNational Geographic camera crews captured the wounded soldiers’ participation in the derby. Cameraman Scott Stoneback, above, had himself just returned from Afghanistan.U.S. Army First Lieutenant Nate Rimpf shows off his catch during the derby. – Courtesy National GeographicArmy Master Sergeant Simone Washington was one of several wounded soldiers who traveled to the Vineyard for what film co-producer Bob Nixon dubbed “extreme saltwater therapy.” – Courtesy National GeographicFilm was premiered Tuesday night at at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. – Lisa VanderhoopMr. Nixon poses with heroes Simone Washington, Monte Bernardo, Amanda Simmons, Silvestre Hernandez. – Lisa VanderhoopCo-producer Sarah Nixon said the 300-seat theatre under the dome of the capitol was standing room only. – Lisa VanderhoopPremiere was hosted by Senators John McCain, Mary Landrieu, Lisa Murkowski and Sheldon Whitehouse. – Lisa VanderhoopBob Nixon, Jack Nixon, Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Maggie Nixon, Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Captain Buddy Vanderhoop (one of the main charter captains on the film) and Sarah Nixon. – Lisa VanderhoopCrowds packed the Home Port Restaurant in Menemsha Tuesday evening for a local screening of the National Geographic documentary. – Mark Alan LovewellCharter captain Scott McDowell served as emcee for the evening.Matthew Safranek served up popcorn to crowd in Menemsha. – Mark Alan Lovewell
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