Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland March 2015

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/467533

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outfitter that Tim worked with had found out what Ken did for wounded soldiers so they decided to invite two for a turkey hunt. Since then, Tim has been involved with several of these trips, known as "patriot hunts." Together, as they would hunt both turkey and pheasant, they had found passion in being able to give back to those who had sacrificed so much. Tim had come back from these hunts and talked with different friends and community members about them. Everyone who heard what these hunts were about wanted to get involved. Soon after, Ron and Eileen offered their land for one of Ken's patriot hunts, where these six men visited for a three-day visit last spring. The soldiers were guided by a group of locals, including Tim, Randy North, Mason Heiss, Dustin and Gary Wollenburg, and Rod Ludemann to hunt birds across the rolling hills of Holt County. And while the hunts were just as interesting as any other Nebraska turkey hunt, the conversations throughout the day were even more fascinating. It was storytelling at its finest. "I grew up next to a military base," said Jason Thomas from Alabama. "From my youngest days I remember watching troops jumping out of airplanes. So I'd make my little forts and I had my play guns. Jumping out of those planes was what I wanted to do since I was a little boy. Then, when I saw the movie Rambo, it was all over. My career path was already decided." We learned about the brother- like love of the soldiers for the F-14 Tomcat, a military airplane that will soon be retired by the United States government. "That one is going to hurt really bad," said more than one of them who knew all too well how important these planes were to their missions. Missions that, as they state it, they do quietly and modestly. "The Navy Seals talk about doing it," said Marshall, "we just go ahead and do it." The jokes and stories continued throughout the day, but the mood changed quickly at the after-hunt ceremony dinner, when the guests described what it meant to them for the time dedicated by the landowners and guides setting up these hunts. They honored Ron and Eileen Schmit with a U.S. flag that had flown over one of many military bases in Afghanistan. Then everyone turned their attention to Ken, whose support has become so important to the more than 500 soldiers who have participated since 2007. "He's talked more than one soldier off the ledge," said David Hargitt from Indiana. And this fact was quite evident after seeing the outpouring of support, and love, among a group of strangers spending a few days hunting turkeys last spring in northeastern Nebraska. ■ Thanks to Tim Cahoy for his reporting on this story. Cahoy and hunter Travis Marshall watch turkeys on a field edge in Holt County before getting within shooting range of a tom. MARCH 2015 • NEBRASKAland 53 ey Eil ag that had flown y ileen Learn more about the Patriot Hunts Program. L P

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