Veteran Appreciation Mule Deer Hunt

Howdy Hunting Pards,

I am very proud to have co-hosted our first “Veteran Appreciation Hunt.” It went really well! Our three honorable veterans each harvested beautiful, mature mountain mule deer, and they all did it on opening day. It was very exciting to see these three veterans, who reside in California, hunt and harvest what they consider to be trophies of a lifetime. They were thrilled with their hunt and expressed great appreciation for all those who helped to make it happen..

The hunt started out with Pack String Outfitters and Tom Dermody of Field of Dream Hunts raising the funds to host this event, and then we chose the lucky veterans who would be awarded these hunts. The veterans chosen were all marines: Jason Finch (who served in Afghanistan), Ron Walden, and Harold McCarty (who both served in Vietnam). All three of these honorable veterans suffered severe injuries while serving to defend our country. They were guided by three distinguished veterans: John Knipe (23 years), David Krupp (23 years) and Chas Sekelsky (5 years), and me (not a veteran). Also assisting in the hunt were the California Field of Dreams hunt crew, Tom and Matt Dermody (Father and Son) and John Montelli.

This event reminded me of how proud I am to be an American, and how proud I am of America. We can always find things to belly-ache about and complain about how there have been things that have deteriorated since the “good old days,” but think about this for a moment: almost 40 years ago, during and following the Vietnam war, lots of Americans couldn’t seem to separate their disapproval of the war from their attitudes towards the soldiers who served in that war. Many, if not most, soldiers from that era felt unappreciated. America has matured a great deal since then. Many who disapprove of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been able to express great appreciation for our soldiers, who serve to protect America, even though they do not support the war. Great Americans have found countless ways to express their appreciation to soldiers. This makes me very proud of America! Isn’t it great that it’s not too late to show Vietnam veterans that we appreciate them? We appreciate all veterans past and present.

Here are some pictures of our first warrior appreciation effort. If you’d like to be a part of the next one just let me know and I’ll keep you in the loop for next year’s plans.

Thanks to all!
Patrick Faast