For the handful of men, some with their families, it was a day away from their tough daily routine: the daily grind to recover from wounds, some catastrophic, suffered in Iraq.

Three Deale captains took wounded military men from Walter Reed Army Medical Center out on a half-day trip, something some of the captains have been doing ever since the Iraq War started.

"It's the least we can do," said Capt. Frank Carver after pulling his boat Loosen' Up to the dock at Skipper's Pier, where owners John Hizer and Buzz Hefti hosted the group for lunch.

"We have done this maybe two or three times a year for the past five years and I never had a captain say they could not do it. They have been generous."

For David Knapp, 22, it was a chance to get away from the daily therapy that has him walking despite losing both legs to a bomb in March.

"I love fishing," the Detroit native said. "This gives us a chance to recharge and not worry about recovery. Relax," he said.

He was aboard Capt. Bob Baker's Miss Grace in his wheelchair for the trip. His dad, Eric Knapp, was along, too.

"This really was great for these guys," Eric Knapp said. He is proud of the way his son has fought back from his injuries suffered March 14 when his 230th Military Police Company were in a convoy detail escorting people into Baghdad.

"He started walking with his new legs 2 1/2 weeks ago. His therapist said double amputees don't advance that fast," the troopers father said. "He's kicking butt."

He was hit by an EFP, a military acronym for an explosively formed penetrator, considered among the most dangerous bombs being used in Iraq. It is made with an high-explosive charge that shoots a concave copper plate that forms into a projectile and is capable of disabling tanks and other heavy armor.

Four days later he was out of Iraq and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he has come to know and bond with his therapists. "It helps. I am comfortable with them. It makes me work harder."

But yesterday was not about work or war.

Worried about a potential storm that blew through south of Deale in the late morning, the captains stayed close to home, fishing off Holland Point where they were hitting spot like mad.

Soon it was time to head back to Skipper's Pier for the lunch.

Mr. Hizer and Mr. Hefti served together in Vietnam and have an affinity for those who have served.

"It is great having you all here," Mr. Hefti, wearing a U.S. Marine Corps cap, told the men and the few family members who made the trip. "We thank you for your service."

The feeling was mutual.

"We are really thankful for this," David Knapp said. "Everything is awesome. People have been so welcoming, so helpful."