FishRook
In 2013, Union Pacific locomotive engineer Dave Oder and four of his buddies wanted to find a way to help disabled veterans in the St. Louis area.
The five friends decided to pool their money – $100 a piece – to buy rods and reels for a daylong fishing adventure with five disabled veterans. The event was in collaboration with Camp Valor Outdoors, a Missouri-based nonprofit that provides support for wounded veterans across the nation, offering outdoor adventures in 21 states.
Gulf War veteran Ron Green, Union Pacific Locomotive Engineer and BLET Local Chairman and Mike Gurley, Locomotive Engineer
Today, the fishing trip that Oder and his buddies organized 10 years ago has grown into the Tournament of Warriors, a three-day event in May hosted by members of the UPVETS’ St. Louis chapter where disabled veterans from across the country gather each year to connect, heal and catch a laugh or, maybe, an actual fish.
UPVETS is one of Union Pacific’s nine Employee…
