Active duty service members will get a chance to learn about fishing from area and national experts this month.

Smok’n Pig will host the Pat Cullen Trophy Bass Military Appreciation Seminar from 6:30-9 p.m. on Sept. 21.

Cullen, an avid fisherman, decided that all those returning from service overseas needed a way to relax and to learn about the fishing opportunities available in the area.

“These men and women are the best America has,” Cullen said. “They are doing this to keep American a special place.”

With the conflict winding down in Iraq and gearing up in Afghanistan, those coming back need to find ways to relax and disconnect from the ordeals they may have encountered overseas, Cullen said.

The seminar, which includes dinner, Cullen said, is a way for the community to step forward and say thank you.

Moody Air Force Base will select 100 airmen to attend the event. At the dinner, which is free, the service members will hear several guest speakers discuss the finer points of fishing.

Cullen, a trophy bass fisherman, seeks out bass that are 10 pounds or more in places across South Georgia. He will discuss fishing for trophy bass on top water.

Capt. Bert Deener will then discuss river fishing and saltwater flats fishing, and he will be followed by Lonnie O’Neal, a fisherman on a professional bass fishing tour.

Cullen’s father, retired Chief Master Sgt. William Milan Cullen will also speak briefly. Pat Cullen said his father is the oldest living chief master sergeant in the United States Air Force and helped start Moody Air Force Base.

In addition to being sponsored by Smok’n Pig, the event is also sponsored by Rountree Moore Toyota in Lake City, Fla., Lowndes Electric Supply Co. Inc., Catko Distribution Inc., and First State Bank and Trust Co.

The dinner is also a jumping-off point for something bigger, Cullen said.

Cullen has been neighbors with retired Col. Ray Trusz for several years. Trusz retired from Moody Air Force Base, and though he doesn’t share Cullen’s deep passion for fishing, he does share Cullen’s desire to assist Moody Air Force Base.

At the dinner, 10 chairs will be draped with yellow ribbon, a reminder of the tragedies that can come with conflict.

Cullen and Trusz have developed Moody’s Extended Family (MEF), an organization that will help Moody Air Force Base when tragedy strikes a service member.

In those times, families need assistance to deal with the loss in a variety of ways, and MEF will be there, when Moody Air Force Base calls, to help, Cullen said.

Trusz will head up MEF and work with Moody Air Force Base in the coming months to select a committee to form the organization.

The 10 chairs at the Sept. 21 dinner will be used to kick off MEF. Each one can be purchased by a sponsor for $250, Cullen said.

Tuesday, Cullen presented the first sponsorship check to Trusz. Each sponsor will be dubbed a “pioneer” for helping start MEF, Cullen said.

Those who would like to sponsor a chair can make checks payable to Col. Ray Trusz and send them to 742 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, GA 31605.