Rusty Lininger

Email: hooligan46@hotmail.com

Rusty Lininger is Founder, President, and Program Lead of Source One Serenity, a 501(c)3 organization which was formed in Roseburg in April 2016 with a mandate to empower veterans to reclaim their sense of purpose through fly fishing and conservation work. Until June of 2016, Rusty worked as a campground manager for U.S. Army Outdoor Recreation in Germany. During that time, he established and taught fly tying and casting clinics at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for PTSD patients. He also started a fly fishing program at Outdoor Recreation. In 2010 Rusty helped Wounded Warrior Project start and facilitate their Project Odyssey in Europe.

Source One Serenity in Roseburg has already grown from serving 15 veterans in 2016 to more than 300 in 2017. The organization has conducted several retreats on the North Umpqua River, Elliott State Forest and a week-long fly fishing school at Lemolo Lake Resort. Since February 2017, Source One Serenity continues to facilitate fly tying and casting lessons for the patients at the Roseburg VA Medical Center.

Rusty has over eight years in the U.S. Army Infantry. During his time of service, he was deployed two and one-half years to Iraq and one year at the DMZ, Republic of Korea. While deployed to Iraq, he was attached to 5th Special Forces Group to help train, advise, and lead one of the first Iraqi Commando Units. Rusty was also given the responsibility of selecting, training, and leading indigenous Iraqi forces in sniper/counter terrorist operations south of Baghdad, Iraq. During both deployments to Iraq, Rusty was also tasked as a sniper/team leader, resulting in countless successful missions in what was considered some of Iraq’s most deadly areas.
Combining his military experience with his love for the outdoors, Rusty has been able to see firsthand the healing powers of nature, especially fly fishing. His passion is to share this magic with others and to use his leadership talents to do so, because a gift isn’t a gift unless it’s shared.