FISHING
BACK TO ALASKA AND BACKING OUR HEROES DISABLED VETERANS SAVOR GUIDED LAST FRONTIER SALMON FISHING TRIP By Chris Cocoles
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t never gets old for 72-year-old Randy Houston, whose Bay Areabased Purple Heart Anglers this fall continued a tradition of raising money to send disabled veterans on fishing and hunting adventures. In October, Houston and his charity got several wounded warriors who served in various combat tours during American wars on a memorable salmon fishing trip to Ketchikan, Alaska. “This was our eighth trip and we had 12 total this year,” Houston said of this latest visit to the Last Frontier, a tally that included himself, veterans and volunteers who were on hand to help out. “It’s a great trip. The vets, they just have a blast. It’s emotional, but at the same time it’s a lot of fun. We had several up there who had never been to Alaska. And some of them had never caught a salmon before. Firsts and firsts.” In all, the vets brought home about 34 pounds of salmon fillets apiece “for them, their families and their friends,” Houston said. But as most of these journeys have gone during Purple Heart Anglers’ near-decade of existence, it’s a whole lot more than just catching fish. “It’s such a broad range of (emotions). My wife calls it calm exhilaration,” said Houston, who started Purple Heart Anglers back in the early 2010s to honor his late brother Jerry, who earned two
A dozen visitors led by veterans who were wounded in combat headed to Ketchikan, Alaska, in October. Bay Area-based Randy Houston (inset) arranged an eighth trip there with his Purple Heart Anglers organization that gets our veterans outdoors. (PURPLE HEART ANGLER) calsportsmanmag.com | NOVEMBER 2021 California Sportsman
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