Operation Valor offers wounded warriors chance to hunt, heal in Montana
From left to right, Sgt. Justin Clenard (USMC), Sgt. Brandon Vilt (U.S. Army), Staff Sgt. Aaron Scripture (U.S. Army), Sgt. Jon Hoover (U.S. Army), Staff Sgt. Rob Strickland (U.S. Army), Sgt. John Bennett (Army Natl. Guard), Cpl. Doug Eklund (USMC) pose for a photo after a pheasant hunt on their first day of a five-day hunt in the Missouri Breaks. The veterans of the Iraq and Afganistan wars were participating in a trophy mule deer hunt sponsored by Buck Up for Wounded Warriors. Photo courtesy Rudy Smith.
Rudy Smith has never served in the military; he’s never seen combat or heard the sound of a rifle round whiz overhead.
But Smith is committed to honoring those brave men and women who have.
This past hunting season Smith, of Hamilton, organized a trophy mule deer hunt in the Missouri Breaks for seven veterans wounded in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The hunting opportunity, offered under the program “Operation Valor,” is the latest addition to the “Buck Up for Wounded Warriors” program founded by Smith’s son, Carl Smith.
Rudy Smith said “Operation Valor” offers wounded warriors the chance to participate in an outdoor experience in a group setting with other veterans that understand the challenges of returning from combat. The program in funded by money raised through raffles. Proceeds cover all expenses for veterans. Smith will be at Wholesale Sports on Jan. 28-29 raffling two rifles to raise money for “Operation Valor.”
“When you are right with these guys and hear their stories, you don’t get that on T.V.,” Smith said on Friday. “From combat to Kmart, there is a transition there and we expect it to be instantaneous, but there is some deprogramming there, too. Being back in a group setting with their buddies, it is very therapeutic.”
Smith began fundraising for “Operation Valor” at the Ravalli County Fair in 2009. He had T-shirts made and raised enough money to contract with an outfitter in the Missouri Breaks.
But there was still the challenge of funding transportation, lodging and meals, not to mention contacting wounded warriors that might be interested in participating in the hunt.
That’s when Smith contacted Capt. Jesse Mann of Columbia Falls. Mann was injured during a 16-month tour of duty in Iraq, and just happened to be the son of a longtime Montana outfitter.
“I got really involved helping Rudy find names and people who were valid candidates (for “Operation Valor”), Mann said on Monday. “Some soldiers that were wounded might not like to hunt; others with (post-traumatic stress disorder) might not be the best to be walking around with a weapon.”
Mann became the military contact to locate potential veterans about the program. Smith became the fundraiser.
And Mann’s father, Carl Mann, became the outfitter for the program’s first hunt.
The mule deer hunt took place from Nov. 4-9, 2010. The group met in Missoula on Nov. 3 before caravanning to the Missouri Breaks for the hunt. Seven wounded warriors – including three from Montana – and others from as far away as Vermont, made the trip.
The group spent the first day in the Breaks hunting pheasant on a private ranch before turning their attention to big game.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rob Strickland, serving a recruiting detail in Bozeman following a tour of duty in Iraq, attended “Operation Valor.” Strickland was wounded in eastern Iraq on April 21, 2008. He took three rounds to the chest and was awarded the Purple Heart.
“My plates saved my life,” Strickland said on Monday, “but I got shrapnel in the arm from a grenade and a big chunk of ceramic from the plate went into my arm.”
Though not a prerequisite for participation in “Operation Valor,” Strickland said he’d had plenty of previous hunting experience growing up in Louisiana.
But he’d never before set his sights on a trophy Montana mule deer.
“I have hunted all my life,” Strickland said, “but the deer are a little bigger up here.”
Strickland said he was a bit uncomfortable attending “Operation Valor” with soldiers that had lost limbs in combat.
“I’ll tell you the truth, I kind of felt out of place,” he said. “I have no disability at all. Some of those guys were missing legs, some missing both legs. I just have a couple scars on my arm.
“But seeing those guys and the way they roll, it was no big deal. Just to see their attitude toward life in general, it was inspiring to see.”
And that’s part of what “Operation Valor” is all about, Mann said.
“I had never been part of a program like this, but I became a believer after that hunt,” Mann said. “Every time these guys have been near soldiers with similar injuries it has been in a hospital setting. This is about being out there and doing something they enjoy. It takes the healing to another level.”
Mann cited the experience of Marine Sgt. Justin Clenard.
From Vermont, Clenard had never hunted in the West. A double amputee, Clenard hunted hard for three days through the rough terrain of the Breaks. His prosthetic legs kept getting stuck in the brush and gumbo mud.
On the final day of his hunt, Clenard spotted his mule deer and left his legs behind. He crawled into position and made his shot.
“He defeated his demons,” Mann said. “That is what this is all about, getting these soldiers through whatever they are dealing with, putting them in a situation that is non-clinical and accomplishing their goals.”
And Mann said he and Smith are committed to continuing “Operation Valor” for all those wounded warriors they can.
“There are 40,000 plus soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mann said. “Seven a year is a small portion of that, but to help seven soldiers a year outside a hospital is an incredible thing.
“My goal is to continue this program in Montana as long as there is a need.”
For more information about “Operation Valor” and “Buck Up for Wounded Warriors,” visit www.buckupforwoundedwarriors.com.
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