FLW Outdoors honors wounded vets at Forrest L. Wood Championship

Veterans of War on Terror enjoy day of fishing with Wal-Mart FLW Tour pros Lefebre, McCall

While bass pro George Cochran emerged as the leading man of the 2005 Forrest L. Wood Championship, FLW Outdoors paid tribute to America’s heroes by honoring three wounded veterans at the event.

In a continuing effort to support the men and women who risk their lives to maintain freedom in the United States, FLW Outdoors teamed up with Impact Player Partners to entertain three fishing fans who were wounded in the War on Terror.

On Jan. 10, 2005, James Johnson, James Tidwell, Gary Walters Jr. and Cletus Baber were seriously wounded by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Iraq. In the moments following the explosion, Walters went back into the flames to rescue a fallen soldier, despite having two shattered ankles. As a result of his rescue attempt, he received further burns and injuries. Baber also acted heroically, removing a large piece of metal that was trapping Tidwell in the burning vehicle, later pulling him to safety.

On Saturday morning, July 16, at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s season-ending championship, Johnson, Walters and Baber spent the day fishing on Lake Hamilton with pros Dave Lefebre and Chris McCall. The three young men were also treated to front-row seating during the final weigh-in and were introduced to a standing ovation from the Summit Arena crowd in Hot Springs, Ark.

Impact Player Partners is a national nonprofit organization consisting of business leaders, athletes, entertainers and sport franchises. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for America’s heroes who have been wounded in the War on Terror.

Impact Player Partners provides emotional, career and financial support to American military personnel who are severely injured or disabled while serving in the War on Terror. The organization also gives a special emphasis to helping the families of our wounded heroes.