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Date: August 18, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 4 Location: Waterside Marina Huffman, TX Details: Yesterday we met Wounded Hero Sue and her husband Tim at the Waterside Marina in Huffman, Texas. Sue served in the Army as a Military Police Officer and was wounded in action while on deployment. Tim served in the Air Force as an Air Crew Chief Mechanic. It wasn't long after launching the fish box began to fill. Zackary Scott and Heather Scott did another fantastic job of getting the Heroes on fish the entire evening. It was such a wonderful evening on the lake with the Heroes! A special thanks to dock owners Cary Bass and Bobby Behrend for continuing to support our Mission! Date: August 9, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 3 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: We met Hero James and his wife Beth at the Waterside Marina in Huffman, Texas for an evening of exploring the lake and filling the coolers with fish. Not long after the sun went down the fish box began to fill. We had an incredible evening with both James and Beth and we look forward to getting them out on another WHHC adventure soon. Date: August 8, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 2 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: Last night WHHC had the honor of taking wounded Marine LaShonda and her family fishing on Lake Houston. We met at the Waterside Marina in Huffman and we’re on our way to the fishing grounds at 6:45PM. After a few hours of trolling the coolers began to fill with fish for LoShonda and her family to take home. By 11pm we reached our limits and started our journey back to the marina. It was an absolute pleasure getting LaShonda and her wonderful family out on the water. We can’t wait to see them again. Once again, our gratitude not only goes to the Heroes and their families, but also to the people behind the scenes that make these trips possible. Zackary Scott and Heather Scott are a few of those people, these two have never turned down the opportunity to take our Wounded Heroes out on the water. Thank you to everyone who supports WHHC and its mission to get Wounded Heroes out "Healing On The Hunt". Date: August 4, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 3 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: Last night WHHC met the Heroes at the Waterside Marina to enjoy a night of fishing with our friends from Zack Attack Fishing. It wasn’t long after taking off from Marina when the fish box started to fill. After enjoying a fantastic sunset, the action ramped up, and every Hero had their limit of fish. It was a wonderful night with the Heroes and the WHHC family continues to grow. Date: July 27th 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 2 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: Last night we met Wounded Heroes Zach and Misty at the Waterside Marina for a evening of fishing with Zack Attack Fishing. After a 30 minute boat ride we began trolling and hooked up a few nice fish, but the real fun was about the begin. Once the sun went down the bite was on, both Zach and Misty began reeling in one after another and the coolers quickly filled with fresh fillets for them to take home to their family. Date: July 26th 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 2 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: Last night WHHC met Hero Sergio and his two sons (“Santi” and “Vin”) at the Waterside Marina to enjoy a night of fishing with Zack Attack Fishing. After 5 hours of non-stop action the fish cooler was full, and it was time to head back to the Marina. Everyone had a fantastic evening, and we look forward to spending more time with Sergio and his family soon. Date: July 19, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 2 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: We received a call from one of our alumni members who stated they could really use a trip to get out and recharge. Withing 48 hours of that call WHHC staff, and that Hero, were out on the water filling coolers with fresh fish and getting some much needed "Healing On The Hunt". A huge thank you to Zack and Heather from Zack Attack Fishing for ensuring the Hero had a fantastic experience. Date: July 8-9, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 4 Location: Huffman, Texas Details: We just wrapped up our very first Rod Building Class for four Heroes in Texas. The Heroes and their families arrived Saturday morning and were eager to start their weekend full of camping, rod building and fishing. After the fishing rods were built, the owners of the Waterside Marina supplied a catered meal and showed everyone some true Texas hospitality. The next day the Heroes and their family went aboard the fishing boats and spent the day on Lake Houston catching Crappie, Catfish and White Bass with the fishing rods they built the day before. It was a weekend full of smiles and wholesome family fun. This trip would not have been successful without the support from a few Huffman locals, we truly thank you for supporting WHHC's Mission and the Heroes we have the honor of serving. We would also like to thank Mudhole for helping us gather the materials needed to conduct the class. Date: June 10th-11th, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 4 Location: Rockhall, Maryland Details: Our group was aboard the MISS ASHERI with Captain Donnie Bayne. We took a drive to where the captain said the fish were at and it didn’t take long before all Heroes had their limit caught within an hour and a half! Once the fish were cleaned we discussed what the game plan was for the 2nd morning. The Heroes all left and went back to the hotel. Later on Saturday afternoon our WHHC's Field guides & Heroes were treated to an appreciation dinner at Ford’s Seafood sponsored by the American Legion Post 228. The food was amazing! After dinner the Heroes all went to bed since it was going to be another early morning. The next morning the Heroes arrived at the dock eager to go try and catch there limits again. After arriving on location the lines were baited, dropped in the water and within half an hour all Heroes had their limits caught again! Captain Donnie headed into the dock where he cleaned all the fish and distributed it to all Heroes. Nobody wanted to leave but we all knew it was time to depart. Captain Donnie Bayne was truly dedicated to the trip and made sure that everyone went home with a full cooler of fish and with some new stories to tell. Date: May 28th-29th, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 3 Location: Belville, Texas Details: In a small town of Texas, Wounded Heroes are sitting in blinds and are each outfitted with an AR10 mounted with a thermal scope. They are patiently waiting for wild pigs to surround the feeders nearby. The Heroes joining us for this hunt will be with their Brothers and Sisters in spirit as we begin to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. Thank you to Speed Limit Outdoors LLC for making this special hunt possible. We would also like to thank Retrievers For Warriors for supplying some fantastic chow for everyone in camp. Date: May 14 - 17, 2023 Number Of Heroes Attending: 1 Location: Mayport, Pennsylvania Details: Patrick Garrett arrived at The Kelley Farm around 4pm Sunday afternoon. After getting Patrick settled into his room, Jack Stanizzo, one of our long-time loyal volunteers, and board member Paul Culley took Patrick outside to pattern his WHHC loaner shotgun. Patrick put a few rounds through the shotgun and he was ready to go. Our guide Cody Ishman and his wife Angelica stopped bye to be introduced to Patrick, our Purple Heart Hero. We sat down to a good pot roast meal. Everyone shared some funny turkey stories. Cody has done his homework and laid out the game plan for Monday morning, and Patrick was ready to go at 4am. By 6:30am the men were back to the farmhouse with a beautiful Pennsylvania Wild turkey. The bird had a 9 ½” beard and 1 3/16” spurs. Patrick shared a lot of interesting stories about all is tours and combat experiences. In closing we all really enjoy the experience we had getting to know our Hero Patrick Garrett and look forward to the next hunt with a WHHC Hero. Date: May 3 - 6, 2023 Number Of Heroes Who Attended: 2 Location: Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania Details: On May 3rd, Heroes Jon B. and Randy H. arrived at the TB Wilderness Lodge around 4:00PM. They were welcomed by the TB Wilderness Lodge crew and a few others who were in camp to enjoy the hunt alongside the Heroes. The following morning the Heroes and their guides were setup before sunrise and patiently waited for the Turkeys to answer their calls. Due to some great guiding and incredible property management Hero Jon B. harvested his first turkey shortly after sunrise. On day two, Hero Randy H. didn't have to wait long to connect on a beautiful bird that couldn't resist his guides calling. Both Heroes had a great time at the TB Wilderness Lodge and spent their last day in camp surrounded by new friends reminiscing about the experiences they had in the field. We would like to thank everyone who has been involved with this event, this is our 12th year at the TB Wilderness Lodge and we can't wait to bring out some more Heroes in the fall for our annual deer hunt! Date: December 8-11, 2022 Heroes Served: 2 Location: Casey, Illinois Details: WHHC has been sending 2 Heroes to Casey Illinois during their late muzzleloader season for many seasons now, each year the Heroes selected for this special event all report they had the hunt of a lifetime and were surrounded by great people. This year was no different! Heroes Doug Woods (Texas) and Neil Foster (Washington State) were the two selected for the 2022 hunt in Casey, both of these Heroes were novice hunters and learned muzzleloading for the first time. We wrapped up the event earlier today and both Heroes are flying back home to share their trip and hunting stories with their families. They are also flying home with coolers full of wild game! WHHC would not be able to conduct this trip year after year without the help and support of the folks listed below. We truly appreciate your dedication to serving the Wounded Heroes. Host/Property Owner - Lonnie Yobst, Tommy Belinda Property Owner - Chuck Main Food/Support - Laura and Brandon Baston Camp Cook - Ricky Beck Guides - Jared Oakes, Dillon Swarmer Date: December 2-4, 2022 Location: Dorchester County, Maryland Heroes served: 1 Details: Nick King and WHHC guide Steve Jackson arrived at Deer Cinch Camp in Crapo, Maryland on Friday 12/2 right at dark. It wasn’t long before ribeyes were on the grill. Deer camp stories and jokes were abundant. Saturday morning came fast and so did the rain… but not before Nick got on the board. He shot a hind (female Sika) before coming in to dry off. Although the rain stopped mid day, the evening was quiet due to high winds. Sunday morning was like something out of a movie. The temperature was perfect. The wind was perfect. Nick and Greg Fornaro took the guys DEEP into the marsh to one of their favorite spots. It was close to an hour long Argo ride through the nastiest, sloppiest mud known to man. The Sika decided to start moving late morning and Nick put a perfect shot on a 5 point stag. If you are unfamiliar with Sika deer, they're one of the hardest animals on the planet to hunt and the biggest stags only reach 6 points. This is an absolute trophy for Nick King and a trip nobody will ever forget! Huge shout out to Nick and Greg Fornaro for making all of this possible. You are truly amazing hunters but even more amazing people! Date: November 30th - December 3rd 2022 Location: Holidaysburg, PA Heroes Served: 1 Details: This was our 11th year at the T.B. Wilderness Lodge with the Belinda Family and friends. We had two Heroes selected for this event but do to a last-minute family emergency only one Hero arrived in camp this year. Hero Jon Babauta was greeted with open arms and immediately felt the support he would experience during his next three days in camp. Wounded Hero Jon Babauta harvested his very first Whitetail Deer during this trip and left T.B. Wilderness Lodge with memories and new friendships that will last a lifetime. As always, we truly appreciate the hospitality shown to us and the Heroes we serve by the Belinda family. Date: November 25-December 2, 2022 Heroes Served: 1 Location: Mayport, Pennsylvania Details: The Kelley Farm hosted Wounded Hero Tim Young who is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Tim arrived around lunchtime on the November 25th, the day prior to the open day of gun season. Jack, Big Ed and Micah Kelley were all in camp to support Tim during his hunt with WHHC. Tim fit in like one of the guys. One of Tim’s comments at dinner on opening day was " I thought I was back in Vietnam. I never heard so many gunshots on opening day of deer season. " Tim had multiple opportunities to take a Doe during his week of hunting at the farm. He saw 1 legal buck but elected not to take the shot. Tim went home with a cooler of venison shared by the guys at The Kelley Farm.  Date: November 20-23, 2022 Location: Orangeburg, SC Heroes served: 2 Details: WHHC had our first deer hunt in South Carolina at the Phillips Plantation. We were fortunate enough to partner up with Unit To Back Outdoors for the first time to bring 2 of our Veterans together with 2 Law Enforcement officers for a 3 day deer hunt. Our 4 hunters were BJ Taylor, Jody Blackwell, Patrick Chavez, and Abram Marvin. Everybody got settled into the Pondview Lodge and were on the way to their deer stands within an hour. The first evening hunt had deer spotted but no shooting. Our Hunters returned to the lodge for a hot dinner and to enjoy some Sunday Night Football. The next morning everybody was up at 0430 for breakfast and on the way to their deer stands by 0530. The first morning was eventful with all of our hunters getting a shot at a deer. Jody and Abram each harvested a doe. After the morning hunt everybody returned to the lodge for lunch and a little siesta before the evening hunt. Deer were spotted on the evening hunt but none were harvested. The hunters returned to the lodge for dinner and an evening of relaxation around the fire pit. Abram decided that for the second full day of hunting he would stay out all day. As luck would have it, he harvested a beautiful wide racked 8 point at 0715 that morning. The other hunters saw deer but no shots were taken. The evening hunt concluded without any more deer being harvested and our hunters again returned to the lodge for dinner and an evening around the fire pit. Some deer were spotted on the final morning hunt but no shots were taken. Our hunters returned to the lodge to pack up and return home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. Our hunters had a great hunt, but more importantly they had a chance to relax and make some lasting memories and new friendships while healing on the hunt. Date: October 17-22, 2022 Location: Long Bottom, OH Heroes served: 1 Details: Another amazing and healing event was held at our annual Hupp Outfitters whitetail hunt. Hero Travis arrived on Sunday, and didn't waste any time - he went right into a blind for an afternoon sit. Our group had deer all over them all week and every sit was exciting! On Tuesday, Travis suddenly spotted a mature 10 point buck at 20 yards. Travis sent an arrow his way, and the buck mule immediately kicked - so we know it was a hit. Unfortunately the blood trail dried up pretty quickly, and the buck lived to fight another day. The buck was seen again on camera but only at night. Regardless of the outcome, it was a once in a lifetime experience for our Hero Travis . . . great hunting, great food, great camaraderie, and great people. Date: September 14-21, 2022 Location: Chinook, MT Heroes Served: 2 Details: WHHC sent two Heroes to Montana on the trip of a lifetime at the Montana Dream Ranch. On the second day, our Heroes woke up early and headed to the prairies in pursuit of filling two antelope tags on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. As good fortunate would have it, the Heroes spotted a mature antelope early and chased him all morning, covering over three miles primarily on foot before harvesting the trophy. With one tag remaining, the Heroes found high ground come evening and soon realized they were surrounded by antelope. After spotting a mature buck, our last Hero set his sights to fill the final tag. After putting on a stalk to get into position, the Hero harvested another trophy antelope. The Heroes then headed back to the Dream Ranch to process their meat. A big thank you to ranch owner Dave Tallman for hosting our Heroes at the Montana Dream Ranch and guides Frankie and Toby Werk for making this a successful hunt for our two deserving Heroes. Another WHHC adventure complete, accomplishing the mission, and creating both memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Date: August 31 - September 5, 2022 Location: Gold Beach, OR Heroes Served: 2 Details: Our two Heroes showed up on the evening of the 30th, ahead of schedule. It turns out they had been practicing prior to this event to gain confidence for their hunt. Our hosts and volunteers were excited and happy to see them. They had coordinated and got a few fellow community members to donate meals for our Heroes. The two Heroes were escorted by Steve Polluck and Ron Hanks where they hunted from covered blinds for several days. On the fifth day, Chase shot at an elk but it was short and he missed. We returned back to camp where Ron Hanks cooked us up a cougar burger. Chase got a fishing rod and reel and went catch and release trout fishing at the creek. Spirits remained high and positive, On the last day, the two Heroes went for the morning hunt and only Ryan was able to see elk on their way back. But they were in transit and he wasn't quick enough. The elk ran away. Thank you to the donors and the volunteers and the staff that made this event possible for these two deserving Heroes. The elk were there - we saw lots of elk, they just did not want to get into the kill zone. Date: August 20-22, 2022 Location: Carrizozzo, NM Heroes Served: 2 Details: WHHC sent Heroes William Shilling (Lake) and Max Hurtz (Lurch) to New Mexico on an antelope hunt. The weather was forecasted to rain all day Saturday but we tried to stay optimistic. Sunday morning, we woke up to some fog and some light showers. After a few hours they spotted a herd with a couple mature bucks and a few does. We set off for a short walk to get in positions for a good shot. Lurch was able to get about 450 yards away and he was able to harvest his first pronghorn. On our way back to camp to drop Lurch’s buck off, we about a ¼ mile from camp we spotted another mature buck about 150 yards away. Lake and Brandon headed to an area for a good shot about 50 yards away and he was also able to harvest his first pronghorn. Even though the weather didn’t seem to want to cooperate, it was a very fun and exciting weekend hunt. Made some great memories and helped two deserving Heroes unwind and clear their minds for a few days. Date: July 9-10, 2022 Location: Lake Erie, PA Heroes Served: 2 Details: WHHC sent 2 Heroes to Lake Erie for 2 days of walleye fishing with Bushwacker Charters hosted by T.B. Wilderness Lodge. The first morning the Heroes woke up bright and early eager to get out on the water only to find out that mother nature was not going to let that happen. Overnight the winds had picked up causing the water to become very choppy. Upon waking up the next morning the winds calmed down enough to get out on the water. Usually this time of year the fish are on the smaller side, but this was not the case for our Heroes. All but a few fish were large including a bonus steelhead that was caught. The Heroes had caught their limits within a few hours and our volunteers fileted all the fish for the Heroes to take home. A huge thank you to Bushwackers Carters and to T.B. Wilderness Lodge for making this weekend one to remember! Date: June 27-29, 2022 Location: Rock Hall, MD Heroes Served: 6 Details: Captain Donnie Bayne once again hooked it up for our deserving Heroes! Two days on the water - and everyone had caught their limits in under an hour on both day. Everyone was well fed thanks to the American Legion Post 228, well taken care of by Captain Bayne, and took home plenty of fish and new fun stories to share. Thanks again to Captain Bayne for his unwavering dedication to always making our trips a big success! Date: May 12-14, 2022 Location: Wattsburg, PA Heroes Served: 3 Details: WHHC hosted Heroes Nicholas Flores (USMC), Michael Sumner (USMC), and Sam Zentkovich (Army) for 2 days of spring gobbler hunting in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Once the patterning of the shotguns on Thursday was done, it was time to hit the woods Friday morning. Michael wasted no time bagging his first ever mature tom just after legal light. Nicholas sealed the deal on his first ever turkey a couple hours later. Sam and his guide hunted hard both days and had a nice gobbler put on a show for them but regrettably he stayed out of range. All heroes received custom turkey pot calls made by Dunn & Son's Custom calls as well as mouth calls made by Kelly Davis. We also received a wonderful donation from American Legion Post #105 for this event where we had dinner on Friday night. Date: May 8-11, 2022 Location: Mayport, PA Heroes Served: 1 Details: WHHC sent Hero Bernie Altman to Mayport, PA to hunt at the Kelley farm. Bernie arrived Sunday morning where he was greeted by Jeff, Jack, and Codi. After the meet and greet everyone settled in and had some great conversations, shared tons of laughs, and great food. On day 2 almost as soon as our group was in the blind the turkeys started gobbling. Not long after a beautiful tom came strutting into the decoy, perfectly aligned for Bernie to harvest. Bernie was so thrilled to be able to harvest such a beautiful bird. That night Bernie put on a magic show for everyone. This kind of adventure really is the definition of "healing on the hunt". The camaraderie that is often lost once Heroes are out of the service is something that truly brings everyone together. The lifelong friendships that are made make trips like this special for the Heroes. A huge thank you to Jeff Kelley for opening up his farm to take our Hero out! |
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