Ken Lockwood knew Trapper John was ready to spread his wings when the bald eagle tried to tear out his throat hours before the eagle's release Saturday.

"That's what you want," said Lockwood, program director at the Eagle Valley Raptor Center near Cheney. "That's his nature -- they're fighters."

The 4-year-old bald eagle had spent about a month at the center recovering from an injured talon he suffered when his foot got caught in a steel trap meant for coyotes.

Lockwood released him back into the wild Saturday as hundreds of people, including almost 100 American Legion riders, watched from the banks of the Arkansas River near the Wichita Area Treatment, Education and Remediation Center on Pawnee.

Trapper John appeared almost subdued as Lockwood clutched the masked eagle against his chest. Once the head cover was removed, though, Trapper John thrust his head back and stretched his beak.

After a chant of, "One, two, three, set him free," from the children in the crowd, Lockwood lightly tossed Trapper John out of his arms, and the bald eagle unfurled his wings.

It was the first public release of a rehabilitated bird Lockwood has done in his 12 years at the raptor center. He said he wanted to honor his friend and fellow eagle lover Greg "Ebay" Hansen, a co-founder of the Patriot Guard.

Hansen died of cancer Dec. 22 at age 56.

"Particularly a wounded eagle is such a great representation of our country, especially in the military," Lockwood said. "They get wounded and come back strong."

Hansen, who had eagle books, statues and photos from floor to ceiling in his house, had his first chance to hold a bald eagle when Lockwood brought one to him when he was diagnosed with cancer.

"It practically brought tears to his eyes," Lockwood said.

Another reason Lockwood said he wanted a public release was to bring attention to how people can prevent injuries to bald eagles.

These practices included not putting traps near places known to be inhabited by eagles and not using lead shot, he said.

The raptor center received another injured eagle within a day of Trapper John that had lead poisoning from eating a bird shot with lead or a fish that swallowed a lead sinker.

The juvenile eagle's sight is returning, and if it doesn't have respiratory damage, it should also be released one day, Lockwood said.

Since Trapper John is almost mature, Lockwood said, he should be able find his way back to other eagles from the river. The eagle is probably is ready to prowl for a mate, Lockwood said.

The strong public response to the release was surprising, he said.

"I had a lot of people call me," Lockwood said. "I could hear the emotion over the phone."

Hansen's wife Georgianna Hansen and brother, Scott Hansen, both said they wished Greg Hansen could have seen the release.

"To Greg, he felt like the eagle was not only a symbol of strength, but peace as well," Georgianna Hansen said.

They held hands and held back tears just before they took the hood off Trapper John's head.

They watched as the freed eagle followed the river until only spectators with binoculars could track the soaring spec.