Here’s a good friend and customer’s boat that just came in recently. Mark McDuffie, owner, with his new 24 Pathfinder Tournament w/ New F-250 Offshore Series motor. We rigged this one specifically to Mark’s specs, I’d say he did a good job laying it out! We owe it to TJ at TNT Boatworks for coming up with the side entrance design to our stand thru towers.
Also included in this fishing report is a news article involving Mark and his service in the military, be sure to check it out.
Here’s some pics of his boat along with the first fishing trip. We went out tarpon fishing, found a ton of fish and unfortunatly none of them cooperated. There’s a few fish still along the beach but they’re starting to slow down, so catch them while you can.
McDuffie Finds Solace in Fishing, looks to help others
DESTIN — For so many people, the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay provide relaxation and recreation. For Freeport’s Mark McDuffie, those waters provided salvation from the scars of war.
With a line cast on a sunny day, McDuffie found solace in fishing the waters of the Gulf Coast. Being out on the water allowed him to briefly forget about his problems and take stock in all the opportunities he still had in front of him.
“It was my therapy while I recovered,” the 31-year-old McDuffie said of spending time on the water after suffering a devastating war wound. “My mind would just be occupied on fishing so I wouldn’t have to think about what I had been through.”
Now, he hopes to share the healing power of fishing and boating by starting a yet-to-be-named non-profit organization for wounded veterans and disabled children. His new boat is finished and awaiting shipment from Fort Pierce, and he’ll begin giving free fishing trips once it arrives.
McDuffie had plenty of demons to escape on the open water. On March 2, 2007, he almost lost his life while in Ramadi, Iraq as part of a team tasked with neutralizing Improvised Explosive Devices. On that fateful day, McDuffie’s vehicle was the victim of one such device, as the explosion claimed the lives of Marine Staff Sergeant Dusty Gould and Navy Corpsman Luke “Doc” Emch. McDuffie was the only survivor.
The blast blew off the bottoms of both of McDuffie’s feet, leaving nothing but bone. He also was pelted by multiple pieces of shrapnel, many of which are still in his body today.
At Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., doctors said there was a 95 percent chance they would have to amputate. McDuffie insisted on the other option.
“You can always take the feet off, but you can never put them back on,” he said.
Five months in the hospital and 58 surgeries later, McDuffie was able to keep his feet. Doctors used muscles from his calf and stomach to reconstruct the feet, and today he walks with a barely noticeable limp.
While the surgeries saved McDuffie’s feet, returning to the water probably saved his soul. Often while just sitting in his wheelchair as a friend piloted the vessel, McDuffie used his time on the water to forget that day in Ramadi.
“There’s not a day that goes by where you don’t remember what happened,” McDuffie said. “You still see the images every day. You still feel that loss. It helps you when you get out there. I was having a hard time sleeping. It allowed me to get out and forget about everything else and take in the beauty of what’s around me.”
A native of Geneva, Ala., which is just across the state line from DeFuniak Springs, McDuffie grew up around hunting and fishing. His idea for the charter service came after spending time in the Jacksonville-based Wounded Warrior program, which organized hunting trips for disabled veterans.
For McDuffie, those trips provided serenity and comfort he hadn’t received from other kinds of therapy. He knew he wanted to start an organization that provided that kind of comfort through his love of fishing.
His plan is to use his new 24-foot Pathfinder Tournament boat to give wounded veterans or disabled children a wonderful day on the water. They’ll fish on the Gulf or in Choctawhatchee Bay then perhaps enjoy a nice lunch on Destin Harbor.
“This won’t solve anyone’s long-term problems,” McDuffie said. “But for one day, we can have a great day on the water and keep their minds on fishing or enjoying the water. To put a smile on someone’s face is the greatest satisfaction I can get.”
McDuffie hasn’t got his brainchild off the ground by himself. The Maverick Boat Company gave him a deal on his new boat, and he has also received money and resources from his friends at Destin’s The Ships Chandler, Bass Pro Shops, Manns Bait Company and Tony Bigot, an accomplished and well-known local fisherman.
Although he hasn’t settled on a name for the new boat, McDuffie is certain its design will include an homage to the Wounded Warrior program as well as Emch, who he considered a good friend. Most importantly, he looks forward to doing his part to brighten the lives of those in need by fishing for everything from trout to cobia.
“You’ve got two options when you get hurt,” McDuffie said. “You can sit at home and feel sorry for yourself or you can get out and continue to do what you do. I was very inspired by my fellow wounded warriors. More than anything, I just feel fortunate I’m able to do this. Many people, including the two men that died that day in Iraq, don’t have that chance.”
