Hunting program in Isle of Wight helps wounded warriors [Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)]

Aug. 22--ISLE OF WIGHT -- Stalking black bears through the Maine woods is therapeutic.

So is bowhunting massive whitetail bucks in Kansas and wild pigs in Oklahoma, said former Army Sgt. John Moore.

Moore, severely wounded during his second tour in Iraq in January 2009, lost his left leg from injuries received when he drove over a 40-pound bag of homemade explosives. He was medically discharged last year after months of surgeries and rehabilitative therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center inWashington, D.C.

But the emotional scars didn't begin to fade until April 2010, when Moore -- who grew up hunting in his native Tennessee -- came to Wakefield and picked up a crossbow for the first time. In a wheelchair at the time, he was one of 20 wounded soldiers who participated in the inaugural Salute to Our Heroes, a weeklong event sponsored by a startup nonprofit, Keeping Warriors Outdoors Inc.

"You don't get much time alone at the hospital," said Moore, shooting at targets on a wooded Wakefield farm last Wednesday.

"This was the first time I got to go out and be a redneck again," he said. "I was at home."

Honoring a friend

Keeping Warriors Outdoors was born out of tragedy, said founder Kip West. Although he has never been in the military, West's childhood friend, Sgt. Jayton Patterson, was killed when an improvised explosive device exploded in Iraq on Jan. 15, 2005. While trying to come to terms with his friend's death, West began visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed.

Keeping Warriors Outdoors is having its first fundraising concert on Aug. 25 outside of Smithfield, at Aberdeen Farms.

"When you lose a friend like that, it makes you mad," said West, whose burgundy pickup has a memorial to Patterson displayed in the back window. "I wanted to find a way to channel that negativity into something positive."

An avid bowhunter, West brought a couple of wounded soldiers from Walter Reed to his family's Wakefield home for a few days of hunting and fishing in 2008.

The next year, West started Keeping Warriors Outdoors. Over the next two years, the program mushroomed to include up to 20 wounded warriors annually coming from several hospitals and wounded warrior transition units at Walter Reed, Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia, Fort Eustis in Newport News and Camp LeJeune, N.C.

West works with the same core group of 20 soldiers all year. That's how his program differs from similar ones, such as the Wounded Warrior Project. After the initial debut week of archery, fishing and crossbow hunting in April, the group of wounded soldiers have opportunities to go on "dream hunts" at preserves around the country.

Campfire therapy

Throughout the year, they are always welcome to spend weekends in Wakefield hunting or hanging out with West and fellow soldiers, West said.

The therapy happens around campfires, during breaks on the target range or while grilling in West's backyard, said Moore, who has moved to Wakefield. At least, he says, it did for him.

"I didn't talk about what I saw. You feel a need to protect your loved ones from the reality of it ... and I'm never going to talk to a therapist," Moore said.

"A therapist can have all the education and degrees in the world," he said, "but he'll never understand what that I went through unless he was there.

"It's when you are sitting around talking that the warriors tell you what is bothering them, and I can tell them, 'Dude I was right where you are at not too long ago,'" Moore said. "It is therapy ... and it makes a huge, huge difference."

Staff Sgt. Landon Belker, a liaison officer at Walter Reed, agreed, saying he works to link wounded soldiers with organizations that provide trips and activities that will get the soldiers involved in hobbies they had before they were injured.

West's program is different because it isn't just a one-time activity, Belker said. Gradually, the soldiers form family-like bonds, he said.

"I don't know any other organization president who opens up his house to soldiers on weekends," Belker said. "He gives the warriors a chance to get away from the city for weekends, even if no special event is taking place."

All hospital patients -- even those receiving out-patient medical services -- have to be medically cleared before Belker recommends them for hospital-sponsored trips. West says the 20 soldiers who participate in his program are recommended by the medical facilities.

Funding sources

It's hard to compete against larger, better known organizations, such as the Wounded Warrior Project, for donations, West said.

Financial statements on the Wounded Warrior Project website show that the organization took in $67.7 million in donations and $55.5 million in in-kind contributions during the fiscal year ending in September 2011.

But bigger is not always better when it comes to serving wounded soldiers, according to local group leaders.

The Yorktown-based nonprofit, Gathering of Mountain Eagles, takes groups of wounded warriors on adventure outings, such as skiing or white water rafting, three times a year. The bulk of his organization's $15,000 operating budget last year was from a $12,000 donation from his employer, Northrop Grumman, said executive director and founder Woody Aurentz. He and other volunteers donated their time, allowing 95 percent of contributions to be spent on soldiers' trips.

"That's fine with me, we don't want to get too big ... because I don't want us to lose that personal contact with the soldiers," he said. About 10 percent of the wounded warriors on his trips are repeat customers, he said.

Between cash and donated services, Keeping Warriors Outdoors operated on a $131,000 budget last year, West said. He's hoping to increase his budget to $500,000 next year, as the organization wins more attention from corporate sponsors and holds additional fundraisers.

While he doesn't want to increase the number of soldiers participating, West says he wants to buy specialized items that will make the hunting experience easier for wheelchair-bound warriors.

For example, he is eyeing a $10,000 wheelchair equipped to travel across all kinds of outdoor terrain and a trailer for storing and hauling equipment. More money will also allow for more "dream hunts," he said.

Giving back to the wounded veterans is his goal.

"I want to give these boys opportunities that some hunters dream of their entire lives," West said. "These boys become family to me and I want to have the resources they need to function effectively in the woods.

"It's the least I can do for them."

Want to go?

Keeping Warriors Outdoors is holding a fundraiser concert, "Warriors on the Water," from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 at Aberdeen Farms in Isle of Wight County. Headliners musicians include Darryl Worley, Bobby Pinson, Andy Griggs, Keith Anderson and the Heather Edwards Band.

Tickets are $50 and include lunch. For tickets, go to the Smithfield/Isle of Wight Visitors Center or http://www.kipwestoutdoors.org

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