Operation Open Arms benefits soldiers on leave

By Jenny Elig

jelig@breezenewspapers.com

When Army Pvt. 1st Class Bobby Allen Jr. stepped into the airport in Fort Myers for his 14-day leave from Iraq, he wasn¹t expecting very much. "I just wanted to get home,² he said. ³But as soon as I got off the plane and was walking through the airport, I saw my family and everyone started
cheering, standing up, clapping." "Needless to say, I had to hold back the tears ‹ I¹m not sure how good that
would have looked on an infantryman," he added.

For Bob Jr., who is stationed Baqubah, about 30 miles northeast of Baghdad, the trip to Cape Coral was a break from 10 months spent in Iraq. In Baqubah, he fights the insurgents as a gunner.

Because the 21-year-old private is single, and without children, he let other men in his unit come home before him, his parents said. By the time his turn for leave came up, Bob Jr. wanted to see his family, to send time with his girlfriend ... and go fishing. And bowling. And eat good food. 

Little did he know he¹d get a chance to do the last three things ‹ free ‹ courtesy of Operation Open Arms.

Operation Open Arms, a program that serves Lee County, has recently expanded to Collier County, and will soon cover Charlotte County, was founded by Capt. John ³Giddyup² Bunch, a fishing guide on Pine Island.

"I started it pretty much from a reaction to my experience," Bunch said. "I served from 1969 to 1975 in the Marine Corps. And the treatment back then toward men in uniform was not what it is today." Bunch was approached by a soldier on leave this past spring. Like Allen, SPC Travis Downes has a simple wish while he was on leave: to go fishing.

"I think when Travis Downes approached me to go fishing, and he said I could never afford to go fishing, I literally had a cardiac melt down," Bunch said. "I decided to take him. And the feeling it gave me after, to take my time - it just gave me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. It almost made me feel like I was serving my country again. It made me feel so good.
 

"After he and his father left the boat, I started calling a few of my other boat friends, and we put together the basis of Operation Open Arms," Bunch said. Bunch contacted local merchants, service providers and restaurants to donate their goods and services to on-leave soldiers. The organization¹s Web site, www. operationopenarms.com, lists contributors ranging from charter boating services, bowling, clothing donations, crafts, medical and dental care, kayaking, parasailing and golf. Participants of Operation Open Arms may be in any branch of the Armed Forces, and on their leave from foreign duty.

"Operation Open Arms is a program that is all about supporting the warriors who are fighting this war," Bunch said. "I make a connection with the knights, not the kings. I just think that there¹s such a political aspect about what is going on right now that is extremely wrong. People are now made to think that if you don¹t support this war, you don¹t support the troops. And nothing could be further from the truth."

Susan Allen, Bob Jr.'s mother, echoes the sentiment. "What the soldiers are doing is not a political thing. This country should always welcome back its heroes," Susan said. "It¹s important for our country to support our military. They do so much for so little."

For Susan and Bob Allen Sr., having their son away in Iraq has been "very sad and scary," Susan said. "It still is. It¹s still scary to sit back and watch."

Bob Sr. is retired military. He served in the Persian Gulf War. Bob Jr. decided to go into the Army for the experience it would give him. "I¹ve always wanted to be a police officer, pretty much my whole life," he said. "I had a scholarship that paid for four years of college to become a cop. I went to college for a year while some of my best friend went off to war. I didn¹t like the feeling of knowing that someone was fighting for me to go to college and enjoy my freedoms, and with my father serving well for over 20 years of his life, I knew that joining the infantry would not only give me the experience I needed to become a cop, but also I can say I fought for my freedoms and I earned them."

"I just want him to come home safe," Bob Sr. said. Bob Sr. and Susan began searching for things to do with their son when he came home from his leave on Oct. 23. They came across the Operation Open Arms Web site. "It¹s wonderful," Susan said. "Bob Sr. actually found it while surfing on the Web. "The family signed up for a charter with Capt. Joe Verdino of Play'n Hooky Charters on Fort Myers Beach. Verdino joined Operation Open Arms because of the Bunch¹s reputation among other area boaters and fisherman, and the community. "When he approached me, I was ecstatic to be involved with such a great thing," Verdino said. "I think it¹s a great thing for the community in general. You've got to remember that in these times, these children that are going off to defend our country, they're signing up for it. I think it's
nice that as members of Operation Open Arms, we can at least offer them one good day at home, so that we can have a good day every day."

The family set out from Fort Myers Beach on Nov. 4. "Basically, the day went perfectly. We had calm seas. The fish bite was
exceptional," Verdino said. "I was telling people, as fisherman we always talk about the fishing gods. The gods definitely smiled upon us that day." Bob Jr. not only pulled in a 300-pound Goliath Grouper (which had to be released), he also caught "too many fish to count. I had a great time." When the family came back in to the marina, the Parrot Key Caribbean Grill comped the family¹s dinner, and served up the grouper they'd caught. "It just goes to show you how one act of kindness can quickly and easily spread," Verdino said. "It really made me feel good," Verdino said. "I knew I was doing a nice thing for good people, deserving people, whose previous generation of family served in the military. I was able to do something to support our troops."

Susan was impressed by Verdino¹s way of "paying it forward." "My son was just - from ear-to-ear smiling the whole day," she said. "We weren¹t out to get something for free," Susan said. "It's two weeks during which, if you can prop them up, maybe the reality won¹t be so terrible."

Bob Jr. whose leave opened with the advent of Hurricane Wilma, spent the rest of the time bowling at Coral Lanes, eating an early Thanksgiving dinner with his family and visiting his family in various points in Florida. Coral Lanes sent Bob Jr. back to Iraq with a small-scale bowling alley, which he¹ll leave for future troops. Susan noted that soldiers are given attention after they are killed in combat. "It's so much better to show your appreciation for live soldiers," she said.
 

For Bob Jr., his leave was "spectacular. I loved every minute of it, and I'm glad my family moved to Florida because I don¹t believe that kind of welcome would have happened in Baltimore, where I joined the Army."
 

Although Bob Jr. said going back was really hard, his experience with Operation Open Arms was well worth it. "My experience through Operation Open Arms was amazing. Bowling, food and fishing were the three main things I wanted to do on leave, and I got to do them all," he said. "It gives soldiers a sense of worth - knowing that people are willing to go out of their way to make your stay at home comfortable."