Barksdale hosts first Wounded Warrior Hunt

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La --  Barksdale hosted six wounded service members here recently for a weekend of hunting, camaraderie and rehabilitation.

The Wounded Warrior Hunt, the first of its kind at Barksdale, took place Oct. 12-15 on the base's East Reservation, and provided the attendees a chance to unwind away from the pressures of doctors, hospitals and appointments.

According to event coordinator Bill Lee, Barksdale's 18, 000 acres of unspoiled hunting grounds, partnered with the support of the local Shreveport-Bossier community and the Wounded Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warrior Foundation, combined to make the hunt a success.

"Our mission was to give those guys the opportunity to relax," said Col. Andrew Gebara, 2nd Bomb Wing commander. "They are an inspiration to the young Airmen at this base. Their mere presence speaks volumes to young Airmen about real resiliency and manhood."

Though the weekend provided the men much needed rest and relaxation, it also provided them a chance to partake in a bit of unusual occupational therapy.

"These guys have been in the hospital for a long, long time," said Lee. "They are double amputees and single amputees who have been injured in the line of duty, and they're here not just to have fun, but to move on to the next phase of their recovery."

Petty Officer 1st Class Todd Hammond, who was injured in Afghanistan while clearing roadside bombs, said that he's at the point in his recovery where he can see "the light at the end of the tunnel," and it was nice being able to spend his time focusing on something completely different.

"To be able to get out and away from the monotony of recovery and that environment and spend a weekend with the fellas relaxing outside of the hospital and having a good time makes for a great weekend," he said.

Though many of the visiting warriors see each other frequently while undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Hammond said it's usually in passing due to their busy recovery schedules, and it's nice to be able to just spend time hanging out and having fun with the guys.

"You get to learn a lot of little things about people when you're going through this process together," he said. "We talk about a lot of little things when we're together, even on the ride over here, that would probably surprise a lot of people, such as the pain of minor inconveniences like riding in certain cars, or on certain sides of the car and even how much we hate having to get new shoes."

Hammond said it's nice to know that while they are focusing on adjusting to the little nuances that come with living life with their injuries, there are so many people pulling for them.

"There's so much going on in the world right now, but these great people still took the time to put this together ... it's great to know people really appreciate us. They get it [the sacrifice we made] and they make us feel like rock stars," he said. "This really rejuvenates you."

Hammond said he is no stranger to wounded warrior appreciation events such as the one at Barksdale, though he's still overwhelmed at "all the fuss," at times.

"There's nothing special about me I don't think," he said. "I'm just a regular guy that was out there doing a job that I loved. I only hope that one day I have an opportunity to give back a little bit of this to other wounded warriors in my position."

The first ever Wounded Warrior Hunt hosted at Barksdale ended on a high note with all six warriors successfully completing the hunt.

"What's cool about this is none of these guys are local and we got this much support from the community for guys that aren't even from here," Lee said. "The community jumped in on it and made it a successful event so now they [the wounded warriors] realize people really do care."

With the first hunt successfully completed, Lee and his team are already planning next year's and looking for ways to make it even bigger and better for future hunts.

"Since this was our first hunt, we really did not know what to expect. Our goal was to provide an opportunity for these men to get away from all the hospitals and surgeries and to offer them a different way to aid in their recovery," said Lee. "We feel that being in the outdoors has a healing effect and we have some of the most beautiful habitat to offer here on Barksdale. The result of all of this, besides a successful hunt, was new friendships, lasting memories, lots of laughter and big smiles from all involved. Thanks to the those in the community that got involved for their support!"