The nonprofit organization, founded in 2019, honored military veterans and first responders through guided fishing, golf, a banquet and a ceremony recognizing their service and sacrifice.

The organization was born from a simple but powerful idea. Founders Marc and Laura Krueger volunteered at a veteran outdoor event in Minnesota run by Lance and Tammy Peterson of Warriors and Walleyes Outdoors, based on Lake of the Woods, Minn. and came home inspired to bring something like it to their own backyard in Sherman County. This year, the Petersons made the six-hour drive south to Loup City to see what that inspiration had become.

"It's just amazing," Lance Peterson said. "You have an extremely hot day or a really crappy day, and catching a fish is a bonus. They're with their brothers and sisters. You hear them talking about fishing, then you hear them talk about where they were stationed, and they're sharing it. Catching a fish is a bonus. It's getting those friendships and getting to connect with someone who can relate to them."

Board member John Gallaway, whose family has been part of the event since its first year, said the event carries a personal weight he doesn't take lightly.

"It's a feeling of community, supporting veterans' well-being, and for me personally, it's family," Gallaway said. "Being a part of something bigger than yourself and serving them, because they've given so much to us."

The weekend opened Friday with a golf scramble at the Loup City Golf Club, featuring hole prizes including longest drive and closest putt, before participants gathered for a meet and greet dinner to connect with their volunteer guides ahead of Saturday's fishing outing.

As the weekend went on, what stood out to many was less the fishing than the community forming around it, the same spirit that first inspired Warriors and Walleyes Outdoors in Minnesota and keeps volunteers and guides returning year after year.

Board member Jayme Sautter, who joined the organization after coming as a guest and stayed because she felt the pull to help wherever she could, said what she loves most is watching it all come together.

“I really enjoy just sitting back and watching all the veterans and the guides and the board members and the volunteers just all being part of a community,” Sautter said. “I know there are a lot of past participants that still contact each other or even want to volunteer and help continue to make this event happen every year.”

The Saturday evening banquet brought a series of meaningful moments. Among them was a tribute to Donald Melvin McPherson, a World War II Navy pilot born in Adams, Nebraska, on May 25, 1922, who passed away Aug. 14, 2025, at age 103. McPherson had been invited to the event for three consecutive years, always responding that he couldn’t wait to come, just as soon as his health allowed. His bravery and service earned him the Congressional Gold Medal, and the evening paused to honor his memory with a toast to his service, his sacrifice and his lasting legacy.

Another moment that left few eyes dry came during remarks from Lance Peterson, who shared that his event had started as nothing more than a dream in 2015. Near the close of his address, he asked how many Vietnam veterans were in the room. As hands went up, he invited them to come to the front to be recognized and then walked to each one personally to shake their hand. The gesture prompted nearly everyone else in the room to rise and form a line to do the same, offering handshakes and thank-yous to a generation that didn’t always receive them when they came home.

“You guys signed a blank check,” Peterson told the room. “I go fishing, I go hunting, I live my life the way I want to because of what you guys have sacrificed.”

Click here to nominate a serviceman or woman, or email servicemenheartlandoutdoors@gmail.com for information about volunteering, guiding, sponsoring or donating.

Annual fundraising calendars featuring monthly prize drawings including gun raffles are also available for $100, and announced via our Facebook page.