On
February 25th and March 4th, 2007, KC-SCI
hosted the first two hunts for soldiers of the 35th
Regiment of the National Guard who recently returned from Iraq and
Afghanistan. Major Bill Cowling and Warren Parker coordinated the
event which was held at the Hedge Hollow Ranch clubhouse near
Ballard, Missouri. The event entertained 13 soldiers on February
25th and 25 soldiers on March 4th who
harvested over 200 birds on the first weekend and approximately
155 on March 4th.
Donations from attendants at this year’s KC-SCI Convention as well
as corporate sponsors made it possible for the club to purchase
shells, permits, food, traps, etc. Corporate sponsors include
Goedecke, First American Title, Daniel McCray, TW Ellis
Construction, Oliver Automotive, Carter Waters, DL Kidwell and Son
Construction, George J. Shaw Construction, Tremco Sealants,
Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, LP, Hagen Electric Co., Signcraft
and Dean Machinery.
Mark
Schaefer of Bushnell Outdoors donated cleaning supplies for the
clubhouse, as well as safety glasses and camouflage backpacks for
all the soldiers.
Special guest, retired USMC Colonel and television host Craig
Boddington appeared at the March 4th hunt. Col.
Boddington spent time in a stand talking to the soldiers as they
moved around the field and also remained for most of the afternoon
with the soldiers. It is rare that we are able to be honored by
the presence of someone like Col. Boddington, but when Mike Hagen
spoke to him in Reno at the International Convention, he did not
hesitate to agree to attend.
Special guest, Stan Skinner, Editor of Safari Magazine, also
appeared at the March 4th shoot. Stan took photos of
the hunt and will be sharing those photos as well as an article in
the Safari Magazine and possibly the Safari Times. Terry Atkins
of Show-Me Outdoors also filmed the hunt which will air on Channel
38, The Spot.
Major Bill Cowling presented the Team Medal to KC-SCI, thanking
them for hosting this event. Bob Bazin then presented the Team
Medal to Hedge Hollow Ranch to display for their hospitality in
making this event possible.
This
was one of the finest events the chapter has put on in many years.
An event like this was only possible with the help of several
members who showed up on one or both dates. I would like to thank
all who helped with the hunt, getting dinner served, cleaning
birds and cleaning the clubhouse after the soldiers left.
All
of the soldiers I spoke with had a great time and were very
grateful for all we put together for them. Many said it was just
what they needed after spending most of the year in Iraq or
Afghanistan. It was a very touching moment when we presented each
of them with the Kansas City Chapter Metal of Honor. To me, it
looked like the first time many of them had been thanked or shown
appreciation in any way for serving their country. When we see a
soldier, we should all take the time to stop and thank them. If
not for the sacrifice they endured, we would all live in a country
where we could not enjoy the freedom of speech and the right to
bear arms.
I
would like to say a special thanks to Ty Green and his son, Ty,
for all they did for this event. Both of them worked on the
Saturday before each hunt to have all the stations in place, and
Ty brought down his personal Sporting Clays Trailer. His son Ty
took care of all the soldiers who shot the course and helped them
with any questions they had on how the course worked. Since last
spring, Ty and his son have been a tremendous help to me in
preparing the place and getting it ready for bird hunting.
Another special thanks goes out to Jerry Hertzog for all great his
cooking! Jerry feed everyone well with his barbeque ribs, pork,
ham, beef, brownies and ice cream.
I
look forward to seeing more of the members at the upcoming shoots
this fall. I will post the dates in the newsletter and on the
internet. Photos of the hunt as well as information on when the
hunt will air on television can be viewed on our website at
www.kcsci.com.
