Veterans canoe down Mississippi

Iraq war veterans Kevin Wilson, seated second from left, and Dan Castaneda, second from right, pose for pictures after a dinner in their honor Saturday at Morgan City's VFW Post 4222. Wilson and Castaneda paddled canoes the length of the Mississippi River before reaching the Gulf of Mexico via the Atchafalaya on Saturday. On hand for the dinner were, seated from left: Christine Walters of Warrior Expeditions, the nonprofit that organizes canoe, bike and hiking journeys for veterans as a form of readjustment therapy; Wilson; Samson, Wilson's helper dog; Castaneda; and Sean Gobin, who founded Warrior Expeditons. Back row: VFW members Dustin Bagwell, Sherman Whiting, Chaplain Russell Fontenot, Quartermaster Ray Rutledge, Commander Kenneth Lodrigue, Bobby Boudreaux,and Second Vice Commander Henry Bernadou.