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Marines Helping Marines by John Neporadny BASS TIMES on the ESPN Bassmaster Federation Nation website

Some former Marines helped their wounded comrades enjoy a day on the water during the Second Annual Marines Helping Marines Fishing Tournament, June 26, at Lake Hopatcong.

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Fishing Tournament Teams Up Wounded Vets and Pro Anglers by Jessica Kitchin LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS

When 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Larry Draughn participated in the Marines Helping Marines Fishing Tournament on Lake Hopatcong last summer, he was just six weeks removed from an IED explosion in Afghanistan that cost him both of his legs and two fingers. This year, Draughn once again returned to the lake to participate, this time with a pair of prosthetic legs that keep him on his feet instead of in a wheelchair.

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Marines helping Marines fishing tournament gives injured veterans a weekend away by Eric Goodman NJ STAR LEDGER

Injured Marines gathered at a lake today near dawn, but it wasn’t a military-style bugle call that brought them together.

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Lake Hopatcong bass tourney to aid wounded vets hopes to lure more support by Dan Goldberg STAR LEDGER

Last July, wounded veterans traveled from their hospitals in Washington, D.C., to Lake Hopatcong for a bass-fishing tournament, a respite from their recoveries and a chance to bond with, and raise money for, other Marines.

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Wounded Warriors Fish Lake Hopatcong by Jessica Kitchin LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS & REVIEWS

Every week, Tony Begenwald visits wounded Marines at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. “I can’t go over there and pull the trigger for them anymore,” says Begenwald, 73, a NoLoad (“No Longer on Active Duty”) Marine. “So I’m here for them when they need support back home. It’s payback time for
all they’ve done.”

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Wounded Vets Find Healing in Lake Hopatcong by Meghan Van Dyk DAILY RECORD

MOUNT ARLINGTON -- It was just 40 days ago that Marine Lance Cpl. Larry Draughn stepped on a pressurized IED in Afghanistan, losing both legs and two fingers off his right hand in the explosion.

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In Lure of Fishing, Troops Find a Degree of Healing by Tomas Dinges STAR LEDGER

Lance Corporal Larry Draughn, 21, used to fish all the time but hasn't cast a line since he was a Marine stationed at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, the weekend before he shipped off to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty in May.