I participated in Gene Pleasants’ deer hunt and although the weather was horrible and not many deer were harvested, I truly had a great time. Gene’s hospitality was incredible and all the volunteers made the event memorable. I am retired and having the opportunity to spend time with other veterans is invaluable. Thanks for the opportunity.

I attended the Memorial Day offshore fishing trip. For me, it was THE BEST fishing experience that I’ve ever had without exaggeration. It was a huge step for me to get back out on the water and also be in a social environment around other people that I don’t know at all. That opportunity was, in a way, life-changing and is still a memory that I think about to this day because it was so successful on many levels. I personally benefited immensely, both physically and emotionally, and I appreciate the generosity more than you will ever know. I hope to participate in more events as it builds me up more than any group meeting or “forced” get together ever would. I’m very fortunate to have that experience and I feel very blessed to know Combat Warriors.

My wife, Lesley, and I attended the pheasant hunt last October. Not only was it a fun hunting event and a great bonding experience for my wife and myself, but it was nice to get outdoors and away from the daily grind, and to be able to socialize with a group of great folks, especially after serving the last five years either overseas or in the D.C. metro area. Everything on the hunt was first class.

Thank you for what y’all do, I know it isn’t easy work. It’s really exceptional that there are men and women who have dedicated themselves to providing service members with opportunities to enjoy our American hunting and fishing traditions. I sincerely appreciate your efforts on our behalf and look forward to seeing y’all again soon.

Never got injured during Combat Operations as a GB with 5th Special Forces Group BUT I STILL RECEIVED SO MUCH just being around my wounded brethren! The resolve, motivation, intestinal fortitude and ability to stay in the fight after traumatic injuries filled my heart with humble-pride for our WARRIORS and this GREAT NATION! They truly represent the BEST our nation has to offer!

Combat Warrior hunts are an outstanding opportunity for my son, Thomas, son-in-law (USMC 2nd LT), Jordan, and myself, to spend quality time together. My son, Thomas, is currently in college plans to serve in the Army as an Intelligence Officer or Enlisted (15W program) when he graduates from college in 2017. My father before me served in Korea and his father before him served in WWII. My dad is 83 now and he used to ride a quad-40 in Korea until they learned that he could lay brick… From that moment, he was pulled from the quad-40, and he and a handful of men traveled around Korea in the snow and icy conditions to build mess halls for the troops back in 1951 timeframe… My dad loves to hunt, loves to fish, and my love for this country all started with what he instilled in me back in the 1960’s. So naturally, we Troutmans gravitate towards the military way of life, and I personally have learned a great deal serving my country over the years, and I’ve met some great folks while serving my country and I’m very impressed with the quality of young men that continue to pick up the torch and run with it.

The Combat Warriors hunts not only provide an outstanding venue for my boys and I to spend quality time together and to become more proficient with the handling and firing of our weapons, it also provides a venue for all of us to meet and interact with other military members and their dependents, Combat Warriors sponsors, and various facility managers (Dewitt’s and Allen Brothers, are two great examples), and to help to strengthen our nation’s resolve in the process. The Combat Warriors sponsored events helps to strengthen our nation’s resolve. The more opportunity that my dependents have to share experiences with like-minded service individuals and their dependents, past and present, yields a greater perspective on life. Perspectives in life are molded by people that we meet, as we walk through life, and the Combat Warrior hunts provide a great venue to interact and to learn.

Thanks for allowing us to take part in the Combat Warrior hunts and we hope to make every event that you allow us to attend. God bless you!

I had an awesome time last year fishing for marlin out in Outer Banks, NC. It was so amazing and very therapeutic to me, and I’m pretty sure to others! Thanks to Combat Warriors Inc. I was able to take a day off of all my stressful issues and just be one with myself! Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity of going out on such an awesome trip!

This was my first time on one of these hunting trips, so bear with me. The deer hunt in Mebane, NC wasn’t filled with sightings of deer or any shooting opportunities for me. However, the guide service was top notch. They tried to put each of us in the best possible spot to see/take a deer. The kindness and hospitality was second to none. I couldn’t have asked for a better service to hunt with. The food was top notch; they definitely kept us fed! It also gave my co-workers and myself time to actually sit and chat with each other, helping me get to know members I normally never get a chance to talk with. I will never pass up the opportunity to go on this hunt in the future, work schedule depending, of course. Thanks again for the opportunity.

I’ve told you this before, 20 years in the Marine Corps and the Combat Warriors hunts were the first veteran specific hunts that I have participated in. They are awesome! Everyone involved in the hunts makes us feel welcome and makes it easy to enjoy the atmosphere. The hunting is obviously a huge part of it, but the time spent around the fire or the discussions over dinner are memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I like that the hunts are not service specific and that there are old and young veterans participating. This helps foster traditions and also teaches through shared experiences and hardships.

I plan on making the Combat Warriors hunts a part of my hunting season for as long as they’ll have me. I truly believe that I met people who will be my friends for many years to come. I also believe we have more in common than just hunting, we all care about our military men and women and appreciate what they do. Thanks again for inviting me.

“Never Forget Our Fallen”

I just wanted to say thank you very much for having me out. You hit the nail on the head when you said that this is what America is about. I could simply not asked for a finer group of Americans to have spent my weekend with. I really wish my wife would have joined me to see yours and their operation. Taking wounded warriors out for this kind of experience, in my opinion, is better than any therapy session. Feeling the togetherness, excitement, and support that these red-blooded Americans have for us and OUR way of life has likely opened a new door to a few of the guys who never had the opportunity to experience this type of wholesome community. The hospitality, respect, and hard work ethic pulses through every member young and old.

It is Tuesday morning 12/10/2013. I have come home this week to prepare and ready myself for another out of state hunt but also to take time to reflect what I personally took place in this past weekend at Twin Oaks Hunting Club. When I arrived home Sunday afternoon I first knelt down at my front door entrance and hugged my six year old son, AJ, who all week prior wanted to go to the club “to be with the guys” (as he said). Oh how I wish now that I had done this. Then I stood up and with tears in my eyes as I grabbed my wife and gave her a big hug and then a kiss. I looked at her and told her that “I had a life-changer this weekend.”

You see, I hunt more than most people and you could say I have been blessed to go to many different places in North Carolina, nine other states, and one different country to do this. Every hunt that I go on that could be just a weekend hunt at my club or a 14-day hunt to Canada. I have never not pulled into my driveway or half way down before my dog starts to bark and alerts my wife and child so they are ready and standing at my front door with a smile and the most welcoming love I ever have known. As soon as I pulled down my driveway after this weekend Combat Warrior hunt and I saw the door opening and knowing they would be waiting for me to stop and get out for my hugs and kisses it then hit me like a baseball bat. Yes, I get homesick on my hunts, and yes, I am sure my wife and child miss me greatly, but I could not know what my dear new friends like Clay Culpepper, PV2 Nicholas C. Culpepper, Mark Craft’s son Danny Craft and all of the families of our brave men and women that have went through during their time away from each other in serving our country and defending us Americans. I am sure in you seeing your family for the first time from going through the battles and seeing your sons or daughters after not knowing their troubles and challenges had to be indescribable. All I can say is every time from this day forward I will look at my drive way after a short or long hunt much differently then you will ever know and thank you for that.

I have been reading all the emails from this past weekend from the Warriors as well as the Twin Oak Members and just taking them all in. I have read “that it was a great weekend,” “it was a fun weekend,” “that Twin Oaks busted their butts for this cause,” “that people will not ever forget this time or people they had met,” that “how appreciative the Warriors were for this event,” and on and on. After reading and reflecting back on this weekend I feel like the Reporter Joe Galloway (Actor Barry Pepper) from the movie “We Were Soldiers” the movie about Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore (actor Mel Gibson) in the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965. Near the end of the movie and after the fighting was over “Joe” was looking all around him with tears in his eyes and saw “Lieutenant Moore” and said “Sir, I do not know how to tell this story.” That is how I feel after this weekend.

I stood in the club's yard this past weekend after all the people involved with the event and club members had left and looked around knowing that it was not a tragic battlefield and thank God for that, but it was a great and life changing event that had just taken place where I stood. I saw the little American flags blowing in the wind and that is when it started sinking in for me. I guess I was worried so much about making things perfect I didn't take time to look at what was going on around me.

Our brave men and women made this possible for me to be a part of a great club like Twin Oaks. They have, as many before them, and many after them, fought for our freedom to go into the woods with our children and friends. They have fought for us to be able to be free enough to start clubs like Twin Oaks. They have stitched the blanket of freedom that we and our families pull over our bodies each and every day and night to feel safe in our daily lives. I will not lie about this but I stood in that empty yard and broke down with tears. I felt I could have done more for the men as they have given so much to me and my family this past weekend and wish I would have done so now. I felt so blessed to have met each and every one of them. I wish I could have had a chance to get to know them better.

I left the club with a one hour drive ahead of me and I thought back on every little detail that I could and laughed and cried at the same time. From sitting in the stand with Danny and hearing just a few stories of his life in the military. I cried on the stories but laughed about me telling him to “just shoot the one in the middle” as there was only three deer in the field when I last looked but as I was saying that the forth one came into the herd. Then I said “hell shoot either one in the middle.” To me saying at the end “hell shoot any of them” because at this time about nine was standing there. Yes, this is when I started laughing. Great hunt and great memories. I thought about all the Warriors in that one hour ride. If I am being honest I am still thinking about them.

My heart is stronger now and I have a fire in me as well. I want more. I will work hard each and every day as a husband and father. I will go the extra mile if you will to do good for the people around me. I will take time to feel the wind, rain, and sunshine on my face. I will pray for the fallen that are not with us anymore. I will give when I have nothing else to give. I will give respect without first receiving it. I will do more each day of the week. I will love without being loved. I will do these things because the men that I just met this past weekend have done all of this and a hundred times more for me and they didn't even know my name until this past weekend. I at least owe them that back and my lifelong appreciation. I will support the Combat Warriors as long as they will have me and need me. Thank you men for being a part of my life. Thank you for fighting for me and our country I live in. Thank you for being unknown heroes and known heroes. Thank you for helping me understanding my driveway.

Jason H. Hocutt
Twin Oaks Hunt Club, Founder & President