People like this make me proud. A former Marine, of course.
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A chance meeting between a soldier on leave and a fishing guide has blossomed into a community effort to send off troops and welcome them home with gusto.
On Sunday, U.S. Army Spc. Travis Downes, on a two-week leave from Iraq, met Pine Island fishing guide Capt. John "GiddyUp" Bunch. Bunch and Downes' mother are friends. Downes mentioned how much he'd love to go fishing. So Bunch took him on a free chartered fishing trip, worth $495.
The excursion sparked an idea.
Bunch wanted to give other troops the kind of homecoming he was able to give Downes.
"The goal is to make Fort Myers, of all the cities in the United States, welcome these guys with open arms and accept them home," Bunch said.
On Wednesday, Bunch got together with Web designer Cherri Wood, of Virtually Paradise Inc., which promotes local businesses in Southwest Florida. She launched a Web site that night.
By Friday, nine businesses had agreed to give services to troops � anything from a meal at a restaurant to a round of golf to a fishing trip.
Bunch is calling the effort "Operation Open Arms."
As a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, Bunch has a soft spot for troops on break.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050423/NEWS01/504230497/1075
