Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is common among military combat veterans. Many turn to therapy to improve their mental health. But therapy comes in many forms. The Texas-based nonprofit organization Patriot Anglers, is using fly-fishing to help suffering veterans cope.
““When I first separated from the military, I was lost,” said Lew Duckwall, a retired gunnery sergeant with the United States Marine Corps, in a video posted online and shared with Military.com. “I was completely lost as a human being and as a man. I was full of rage and hate for anything and everybody that tried to love me.”
Duckwall was serving in Iraq in 2002, helping to construct a top-secret military facility, when the roof caved in and exposed a power line that hit Duckwall in the head. It nearly electrocuted him, stopping his heart twice.
“The injuries that I had sustained, I could no longer do the things that I wanted to do,” he said. “I could no longer provide for my family. I could no longer love my wife the way that I wanted to. I couldn’t go out and throw the ball with my son. I couldn’t chase my daughters around and so I felt worthless, like there was no reason for me to be on this earth anymore.”
Among other impacts, Duckwall was battling PTSD. According to the National Center for PTSD, at some point in their life, seven out of every 100 veterans (or 7%) will have PTSD. In the general population, six out of every 100 adults (or 6%) will have PTSD in their lifetime.
Group Fly Fishing Serves as a Healing Tool
But a week-long fly-fishing trip to Idaho while in recovery and treatment changed Duckwall's life.
“I had a difficult decision to make about whether I wanted to go, because prior to getting injured, I was an avid fly fisherman. I was pretty good at it,” Duckwall recalled. “I didn’t want to go and fail at one more thing. But my wife talked me into it. I got on a plane and went, and it was absolutely the greatest week of my life. I was able to find myself.”
Turns out, Duckwall loved connecting with other military veterans, while tapping into the memory of his fly-fishing days. Suddenly, he found himself useful, energetic, and successful again. His wife Nicole says he was noticeably different when he came home.
“I started noticing a big change, almost like when he was in the military, he could be a 'Gunny '" again. He could be a leader again, he could show people the ropes,” said Nicole Duckwall, a retired chief master sergeant with the United States Air Force, who also appeared in a video posted online and shared with Military.com. “He wanted to help others get out of their living hell, and bring them some joy because it brought him some joy.”
In 2013, Lew and Nicole started a local Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Healing Waters, a national nonprofit that uses fly-fishing as therapy for active military and veterans. Through a curriculum of fly fishing, fly casting and rod building, participants experience nature’s restorative healing powers while building camaraderie, connection and community.
“I found something that I could do without anybody else helping me. And so I felt successful for the very first time since I was wounded,” Duckwall said.
But after a few years under the Healing Waters umbrella, Lew Duckwall wanted more. He and his wife founded Patriot Anglers, to help local North Texas in active military service members and veterans go on fly-fishing excursions as a way to heal and restore their minds and bodies through nature.
“Since 2013, we’ve taken over 4,600 veterans fly fishing, but the person who is benefiting the most is me,” said Duckwall. “As I help every brother and sister with their healing process, it helps me with my healing process.”
Patriot Anglers Attracts TV Host Montel Williams
Patriot Anglers conducts group and one-on-one guided fly-fishing outings aimed at increasing a person’s well-being, renewing their sense of camaraderie, and enhancing their desire to heal. Through word of mouth, hundreds have joined the program. It also caught the attention of former U.S. Marine turned television talk show host and podcaster, Montel Williams.
“For millions of veterans and first responders, the end of active service doesn’t mean the end of the fight,” said Williams on his podcast ‘Free Thinking with Montel Williams.’ “PTSD, trauma and moral injury don’t always announce themselves loudly, but they can quietly take over a life, a family and a future.”
Williams, Lew and Nicole Duckworth all appeared on ‘Free Thinking’ to discuss Duckwall’s injuries, his PTSD, and why he started Patriot Anglers.
“The reason I was still alive, my other purpose in life was to take people fly-fishing like this group in Idaho had just taken me,” said Duckwall on Williams’ podcast. “I just thought that I could do it just as well with volunteers in North Texas. I really just wanted to concentrate on Texas and Oklahoma and Louisiana men and women who have served our country.”
On its website, Patriot Anglers has nearly two dozen fly fishing trips planned for the rest of 2026, with one-on-one excursions also available. A staff of volunteers and professional guides helps participants navigate the trips and engage in the healing power of nature.
“Everybody’s a volunteer, including Lew. Everybody’s a volunteer. Nobody gets paid,” said Nicole Duckwall on Williams’ podcast. “It’s all through donations. It’s all through fundraisers.”
Lew Duckwall says the fly fishing trips are not a cure, but a tool to get service members to open up.
“The most comforting thing was when I met other men that were just as proud that had done the same thing and felt the same feelings that I have,” said Duckwall. “The real healing takes place at night when they’re talking and they realize that they’re not the only one going through whatever part of the PTSD or the wounded trip that they are on.”
For more information on Patriot Anglers, visit www.patriotanglers.org.
