The 2017 Chockley – Bullseye Turkey Hunt is in the books. The event was special for all who were there. The Chockleys always put on a great event. The wind was howling, making the hunting tough, but all the Warriors were able to see Turkey’s in full STRUT. Unfortunately they were not able to bring them in close enough to bag one . Sometimes just being out there is enough.

Thanks again to the Chockleys for providing Combat Warriors with a quality event!

Combat Warriors would like to say a huge "thank you" to Heather Gordon (pictured center) who made us this amazing quilt. The quilt has been on display at Big Ed's City Market downtown Raleigh with raffle tickets being sold to support Combat Warriors. The drawing was held and Donna Strickland (pictured far right) was the lucky winner of the quilt. Donna has chosen to donate the quilt back to Combat Warriors for future use. Thanks so much Heather and Donna and also thanks to Sandy Gordon and Judi Bitner who also had a hand in making the quilt. In the end, the quilt raised $3,130 for Combat Warriors and thanks to Donna Strickland it's not done yet! Thank you to everyone involved!!

The Family Outing and Pheasant Shoot was a huge success with Mother Nature threatening again. Hurricane Mathew wiped the event out in October and it looked as if the bad weather would get us again but our prayers were answered. God cleared the skies around 10:00 AM and we were able to have an excellent event.

We had around 70 Warriors and family members attend with many being first time participants. We were able to skeet shoot, rifle and handgun ranges were active and 400 Pheasant were released for the tower shoot.
Numerous Warriors thanked us for a great event and said they could not wait until the next one.

Thank you to everyone who came out, to all the volunteers, and to our sponsors!

Left to Right:  Barry Perry of Perry's Guns, Bill Warren, Faron Cahoon, and Doug Cowan

Combat Warriors Inc. was proud to share our mission with the masses at this year's Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh, NC.  We had a booth full of board members and volunteers mingling with the many visitors to the deer classic.  We were able to connect with several other local and national vendors and organizations and got a lot of conversations going with the beautiful Browning x-Bolt .308 Rifle and Sig Sauer scope that we raffled off at the conclusion of the weekend.  Tilman Britt of Browning was kind enough to donate the rifle for us to raffle off.    The Sig Sauer scope was donated by our long-time friends at Big Rock Sports.  We were able to raise a good chunk of money from the raffle that will all go directly toward more and better events for our soldiers.  The lucky winner of the rifle was Mr. Faron Cahoon (pictured above).  A former Army Veteran himself, Mr. Cahoon was thrilled to win the gun.  We thank Mr. Cahoon for his service to our nation and for his support of Combat Warriors.  We rolled out some new merchandise at the Deer Classic as well which will be available soon in our brand new online store.  All proceeds benefit Combat Warriors so please support us by making a purchase.  It is always a pleasure and an honor to be able to stand in front of people and share with them what we do as an organization.  Our lone goal has always been a simple one.  We want to take our passion for the outdoors and use it to help our soldiers in any way we can.  It is incredible what a red sunrise and a screaming drag or a nap beside a tree, woken by a thunderous turkey gobble, can do for the soul of a man.  We are all in need of the therapy that the outdoors provides and those of us in a position to help share this with those who need it most should feel honored to be able to do so.  We encourage everyone to get involved.  If you want to know how, please reach out to us via the contact tab on the website.  Thank you to everyone who visited us and supported us at the Dixie Deer Classic this year and for everyone that has supported us through the years.  We are just getting started!

Our 2016-2017 event schedule concluded with a youth duck hunt at the Great Ditch Hunt Club in Hyde County, North Carolina.  Combat Warriors Inc takes great pride in making trips available to our service members and their children. Time afield with a son or daughter is a gift that will be cherished long after the kids are grown. It's often what children reflect on when they think of great times from their youth. The kids shot a variety of ducks with a few kids shooting their very first duck ever.  We could not have picked a better way to wrap up another year serving these Combat Warriors and their kids.

We held 18 events in the 2016-2017 year serving over 200 soldiers and their families.  Our goal is to hold more events every year and reach as many warriors as possible with quality experiences that benefit these warriors.  We have a great line-up of events coming in the 2017-18 year and we can’t wait to share these events with you.  If you’d like to get involved in these events, let us know!

Again, I wanted to say thanks for inviting and letting me and my boys go fishing. I have never been the one that wanted to take advantage of the stuff people like you do for us injured guys and service members. In fact, I have probably turned down more hunts and fishing trips than I have ever been on. There are some, what we like to call, “Professional Wounded Warriors” out there that take advantage of the system, and I never wanted to be looked at like that. But your events have always been low key, family oriented; and the people that volunteer with you are very genuine and salt of the earth Americans.

When I went back to Afghanistan for the first time after my amputation, Carson was only about 11 months old. My wife did not like it at all, but I had lost my identity as a man, a caregiver, and was so deep in depression. My amputation saved my life with God’s guidance and providence. Carson was the first child that I was actually around for the first part of his life. When Grayson was born, I was doing all kinds of surgeries, had my leg amputated, and just was not in a good place. But with Carson it was different. I washed him in the sink all the time (when he was little... lol) and I always had him in the wheelchair with me. For once I actually bonded with one of my kids from birth till about a year old. He was always in my lap for the first year. Then I deployed for the first time in January 2010 after the amputation to Afghanistan. I came back April 2010 for emergency leave, Paula’s mom had a heart attack, and had a revision on my stump the next month. Paula told me after I left in January, Carson basically cried for two months. She said he was going through separation anxiety. It nearly broke my heart because I left again in two months for another eight months.

For once I had actually bonded with one of my kids. To this day, Carson and I have that special bond and I feel he gravitates to me more. I can never get back the times I missed, but with events like you put on, I can make new memories and special times. Carson is still talking about fishing. The boy loves to fish...lol! I could never do the things with my children that I do through Combat Warriors. With every fiber of my being, I say a heartfelt “THANK YOU” from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for all your donors, volunteers, and everyone that helps with your events. It takes a special heart to do the things you, your supporters, donors, and volunteers do on a yearly basis. It reminds me of the way Jesus Christ lived his life almost 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ served others and his life is the supreme example of how we should live ours. Combat Warriors and everyone that makes it up live this example that Jesus Christ set.

I wish I could personally thank everyone that is involved with Combat Warriors and give them a hug. Please pass along this note to all that make it possible for me and other service members to bond with our kids again and provide a time to fellowship with so many others. My gratitude and thanks to all. I know I might not meet all that are involved, but know that you have made a difference in me and my boy’s lives. Thank you and God bless you all and Combat Warriors. I pray that God blesses Combat Warriors and the work you do in service to others when you do not have to.

I didn’t know it, but I really needed to hang out with combat veterans, wake up in the dark, patrol through a muddy field, set up a shooting position, and wait quietly, talking or not, waiting to shoot ducks. It is hard to get comfortable with civilians, but it was very relaxing to hunt ducks with guys who understand what I went through in combat.

I was very happy to be involved in the Chockley Deer Hunt. It was a great event put on by great people. I only wish I would have been able to get a deer. This hunt set me up for a lifelong hobby. Thanks again for everything you do.

From the first time I was introduced to Combat Warriors and every time thereafter I could tell what a quality organization this was. You got me back in the woods and water after my injuries that sidelined me and I will forever be grateful. I look forward to every event, not just for the event itself, but for the time spent with other service members and all the patriots of your organization. Every event means time spent with friends and making new ones, a chance to recover and heal like no doctor or hospital can give.

This year was my second time at the Hyde County Duck Hunt, and man it was even better than last year. It’s awesome to have an opportunity to fellowship and enjoy the brotherhood of fellow service members, all the while enjoying the great outdoors in the form of duck hunting! It’s enough to just have the opportunity to come to Hyde County to hunt, but when you throw in landowners that would practically give you their waders so that you can enjoy the hunt, it just made the experience that much better. Not to mention all the sponsors that gave us the ability to get our ducks mounted, have cases to put our guns in, practically outfit you for the hunt! Let’s not forget the food. I eat more there than I do all year from the volunteers that cook the breakfast and the pig to the restaurant up the street. Their food and services were above all the best. Thank you for making the Hyde County Duck Hunt a lasting memory.