Pros, Others Head To Ground Zero To Help

As America watched and attempted to absorb the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, a band of anglers took to the road and spent a full day in the storm-ravaged Gulfport, Miss. area. Their mission: Deliver fresh, hot meals to rescuers and families in need. Their status: Mission accomplished.

The long trip began with a thought by Gerald Swindle, but quickly snowballed into something much greater. Soon, truckloads of food and relief supplies were on their way down the highway, and the band of determined anglers, wives and industry people were

greeted with open arms.

For Those in Need

While much of the nation's attention has been fixed on New Orleans, the Gulfport area received the full brunt of the storm. "My mother's family is from Long Beach, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi," Swindle said. "I have lots of ties in that area, and that tied me to that particular area.

"I sat around and talked about the idea with my wife, wanting to help – wanting to do something. I really wanted to go help some of the firemen – some of the people who hadn't slept for 6 or 8 days straight, working and working trying to save people."

Swindle started making "a few" calls Tuesday morning, Sept. 6. "I caught a few of the anglers," he said. "I called Marty Stone, Kevin VanDam, Mark Zona, Kevin Wirth, Stephen Browning, Scott Suggs, Kevin Short, Mike Wurm, and also some of the redfish guys that came down through a connection of Steve Bowman's at JM (Associates) on the Mobile coast. It all started snowballing."

His initial goal was to purchase hamburgers and hotdogs, then cook and distribute them in the ravaged region. "On Saturday night we were loading up and had four enclosed 20-foot trailers and longer," he said. "As a tally, I'm estimating somewhere between $170,000 and $190,000 worth of food, new clothes, products – you name it. It was all donated. We raised money. Some anglers just wrote out checks and said do what you can with it. Then the community started getting donations from emails.

"And the anglers used their fishing name to call on a few companies and they donated. It was a lot more than I expected."

The convoy left the morning of Sun., Sept. 11 and arrived back in Hayden, Ala. Monday morning at 2:00 a.m. "With that many people, somebody has to step up to the plate and shoulder the burden of telling people what to do. I appointed my middle brother Ernie Swindle to do that. He undertook the whole supervision process."

Hot Meals Welcome

Swindle estimated the group cooked and delivered about 1,000 hotdogs and 1,000 hamburgers, plus the extras. "Every one was cooked and served to people – from military and National Guard, to people helping with security, to firemen, to firemen's families, to Red Cross shelters, to people in schools," he said. "We carried our wives with us, and I can't say enough about everybody. We probably had close to 45 volunteers. We worked right to 38 hours on 2 1/2 hours of sleep."

Suggs, from Arkansas, said: "We were received with open arms. It was just amazing. We didn't know what to expect going in. But we get down there, just standing there cooking at the fire department, and people pulling up asking, 'Is that for anybody?' People were begging for a hot meal. Just being able to serve and help people out like that – it was just unbelievable.

"It was great to be part of it," he added. "The thing about it is, there was only so much we could do – we were so limited. You're just sitting there going, thinking to yourself, Gosh I wish there was just more I could do. You feel like you can't do enough."

"They were so glad to see a hot meal for the first time in 2 weeks, it was like little bags of gold," Wurm said. "When you're living on peanut butter that long, to have that cooked hot dog and hamburger was real dang good."

Swindle also said the reception was "unbelievable" and the group was welcomed with open arms. "I had hugs from family members, and tears were shed. Lots of people were glad to see us. The firemen really welcomed us. Most of the firemen are fishermen – they all knew who the anglers were. It just gave them a few minutes to get their mind off what they went through. The local news and radio met us down there. They were just blown away by the support of the anglers."

But it wasn't just anglers and their wives. Steve Bowman and Jerry McKinnis from JM Associates, and TV personality Tommy Sanders were also there. "To look over there and see Tommy Sanders dripping with sweat, Steve Bowman on the grill and Jerry McKinnis hauling boxes with his bum knee – it put in check where we are," Swindle said. "I wish a lot of our guys could see down there, and what they have to be thankful for – fishing for a living. We're a very fortunate group.

"To stand amongst the destruction with no life – no birds – it's just wrecked. It's a gut-check."

Area Devastated

Swindle, Suggs, Wurm and Stone all came away from the trip with the conviction that it was a life-changing experience. "There were still people in houses, certain areas were totally destroyed with no one left, and a little farther inland people were starting to get back to life," Swindle said. "People would come out so grateful and say, 'Thank you so much.' Nobody took too much. My wife said a family would ask for only two (hamburgers or hotdogs), and they had two kids."

Suggs said: "Let me tell you something, when you come home – you don't even have to come home – you realize how lucky we really are, and the way we weren't affected by it. Really, we got to go behind the scenes down there and see stuff that, as far as I know, TV hasn't got to see a bunch of. I'll tell you something, it hits you deep.

"I wish that everybody could have an opportunity to see and experience the parts we did. It will change your outlook on life. You'll appreciate everything you have and stand for, I promise you."

Suggs also wanted readers to know how little help the area has gotten. "New Orleans was devastated, and that was from weakened levees and flood waters – I understand all of it. But hey, the eye – the massive wave – it happened right where we were at. That's why Gerald devoted all of our work there. These people haven't had any help. This is where the true Katrina took place.

"It was unbelievable. I was talking to the mayor down there and they're looking at a year just cleaning up. My heart's out for them. That area has really lacked in the attention it needed."

And Wurm feels forever changed. "It had the most sobering effect on me of anything I've ever seen," he said. "I still don't know what to say to try to describe it. It's impossible to describe that much devastation to people who have never seen it. Lives were lost. Lives will be totally changed. Eighty miles, as far as you can see, is totally leveled. It's a catastrophe."

Stone, too, felt changed by the experience. "It was the most humbling experience of my life," he said. "In places, it's a quarter- to a half-mile wide, for 80 miles, and there's not a foundation standing. I've never seen that much devastation. But also, all those people who went through it, they have a great attitude. They made no bones about it. They will come back. They will rebuild. It put a lot of things in my life in perspective.

"The sad thing is, all the media is covering is New Orleans," he added. "Gulfport was hit worse. All you have down there is good people doing good things. It's a good story that should be told."

Notable

> Swindle said his family in the area is okay. "All my family is alive. There were no deaths, and we have a huge family down there. Everybody all showed up at the fire hall. Some even jumped in and worked with us."

> Swindle wished to focus the attention on the other volunteers who made the trip. But Suggs laid the credit back on Swindle. "My hat's off to Gerald Swindle and everybody that was a part of this. All I did was help with the fixing of the meals and distributing. Gathering it was a 10-times-harder job than what I was a part of."

> Many of the volunteers wore Angel Anglers shirts. Although it's not a group with an official membership, Angel Anglers are those who work with Swindle to donate their time for charity. They often visit sick children in hospitals, for example.