George Abernathy
For over 35 years, I have attended Apache Troop 1/9th Cavalry reunions with the guys I flew with in Vietnam. Thirteen years ago, we started a fly-fishing tournament in honor of John Bartlett, an Apache Troop Cobra pilot who has since passed away. The tournament has become another tradition that brings us fly fishermen together and keeps John’s memory alive. This year, five of us fished the San Juan River in New Mexico with guides from Fisheads Outfitters before heading to Albuquerque for our three-day Apache reunion.
As usual, I was the one who instigated friendly smack talk. It’s just an integral part of fly fishing. However, this trip was a little different because I was sharing a boat with Apache’s XO—the troop’s second in command in 1970. It was my first time fishing with retired Lt. Col. Jeff Cromar, so it took me a while to get the banter started. Jeff, meanwhile, was wasting no time catching fish. He had already netted four trout before I had even hooked one. That was when I jokingly accused him of using PowerBait with his flies. That got a smile and a laugh out of him, and from that point on, the smack talk went both ways, all in good fun, of course.
On our last run of the day, I told our guide and Jeff that we needed a double hookup—two fish hooked at the same time. Within three minutes, Jeff hooked the first fish. Shortly afterward, I hooked one of my own, and the fights were on. What were the odds? Somehow, we had gotten exactly what I had asked for. The accompanying photo shows both fish, with Jeff proudly pointing to the trout he caught.
Mike White, a former Loach crew chief, also landed a large trout that day, one that was very comparable in size to Jeff’s. That left the decision about who had caught the largest fish resting squarely on my shoulders. It was a tough position to be in, so I asked our senior-ranking trooper, retired Lt. General Funk, for his opinion. He laughed and appropriately informed me that it was my decision. At our final luncheon, attended by about 40 troopers and their significant others, I called both Jeff and Mike to the front of the room. I announced that they were both winners, and I have since added both of their names to the trophy.
Over the past 35 years of reunions, I have had the pleasure of fly-fishing with approximately a dozen troopers. In 2013, we began the tournament in honor of John Bartlett, and it has grown into something much more meaningful than a fishing competition. Sadly, we lose at least one trooper every year. But those of us who remain all share the same commitment: the reunions and the fishing tournament will continue until the last man standing.