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ELBERTON, Ga. – As part of an
ongoing partnership with the
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA),
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Savannah District hosted two
deer hunts for PVA members and
their families at Richard B.
Russell Lake, October 23-24,
2013.
October 23, 2013 - Pictured left
to right: Paralyzed Veterans of
America members Tommy and his
son Max; Ollie Lankford; Keith
Crowe, Russell Project Manager;
Kurt Glass, assistant sports
director for Southeastern PVA
chapter; Brig. Gen. Donald E.
Jackson, South Atlantic Division
commander; Command Sgt. Maj.
Antonio Jones; and PVA members
Paul, Norm, and Ricky (with his
grandson Landon). U.S. Army
photo by Tracy Robillard |
"We are honored to have a
District-wide partnership with
PVA to provide quality hunting
and fishing opportunities for
them and their families," said
Zachary Baldwin, a natural
resource specialist and event
coordinator at the Russell
Project Office. "Every year we
host deer and turkey hunts and a
fishing tournament. Sometimes we
offer duck hunts for them, too."
In addition to hunting, the
veterans received a special
welcome from Brig. Gen. Donald
E. Jackson, commander of the
Corps South Atlantic Division
(SAD) headquartered in Atlanta,
Ga., and the SAD Command Sgt.
Maj. Antonio Jones. Jackson and
Jones visited the Russell
Project to meet with PVA members
and thank them for their service
to the nation.
"I enjoyed meeting General
Jackson and the Command Sergeant
Major. They're both two
incredible people," said Kurt
Glass, assistant sports director
for the Southeastern PVA
chapter, headquartered in
Hephzibah, Ga.
"I can't say enough about the
great things the Corps has done
for us," Glass said. "They've
made us handicapped ramps. They
make their areas accessible to
people in wheelchairs. They give
us safety briefings and help us
get into the hunting blinds.
They clean and butcher the deer
for us. They take real good care
of us."
Eleven hunters participated in
the recent hunts, harvesting a
total of four deer. Glass
harvested a six-point buck;
Ollie Lankford harvested an
eight-point buck; and Ricky
Pless harvested two does with
one bullet, thanks to some
encouragement from his grandson,
Landon.
The hunts took place on Corps
property near the Russell Dam
and Visitors Center that is
reserved for hunting by special
groups such as PVA and the
Outdoor Dream Foundation (ODF).
ODF is a non-profit organization
that provides outdoor adventures
to children with terminal or
life-threatening illnesses.
"It's important for us to reach
out to these special groups
because they have done so much
for our country," Baldwin said.
"We provide them with a place to
hunt that is safe and
accessible."
The hunters used
specially-designed, wheelchair
accessible hunting blinds that
were built by the Corps and
volunteers from ODF in 2011. The
blinds feature a wheel chair
ramp and three windows placed at
sitting eye-level. They also
have adjustable camouflage
curtains that can be easily
raised or lowered by pulling a
cord.
The PVA is a
congressionally-chartered
organization that advocates for
health care, benefits,
education, and research to
improve the quality of life for
injured veterans.
"We make sure the veterans get
the benefits and healthcare that
they should be getting," Glass
said. "We help any vet as much
as we can. We help get them out
of the house and back to society
where they used to be."
Glass said that doing outdoor
trips like hunting and fishing
at Russell Lake greatly improves
morale for the members.
"Hunting and fishing are things
they used to do, and some of
them may say they can't do it
anymore because they're in a
wheel chair," Glass said. "But
we're there to motivate them and
to show them that they can still
do the things you used to do,
whether you're in a wheel chair
or braces or whatever."
By U.S. Army Tracy Robillard
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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