Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
08-22-2007, 12:54 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: arkansas
Posts: 3,147
Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
Thanks Woody [and DSA] Anybody from here wanna meet up and do some shootin?? 09/08/07 Lenoir City, Tn. Eagle Wing Archery 10 pt dealer to boot!!
Woody Williams
Joined: 09 Oct 2002
Posts: 5408
Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:24 am Post subject: Tennesseans come to aid of disabled vet
[hr]
Tennesseans come to aid of disabled vet in Buffalo
By Bob Hodge (Contact)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The story about how a bow hunter from Buffalo, N.Y., is getting to hunt a hog in Texas — thanks to folks from Tennessee — gets its start in Iraq.
It was Nov. 8, 2004, and Cpl. Mark O’Brien, 65 days into his second tour of duty in the war zone, was one of four Marines in a firefight with insurgents in the town of Ramadi. The Marines were under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades were coming close but not hitting the Humvee O’Brien was in.
Three RPGs did little but exploded and caused no damage. The fourth found its way inside the Humvee. A metal piercing round, the grenade came through the Humvee’s door and literally landed on the then 21-year-old Marine.
O’Brien’s life changed forever the second it exploded.
His wounds were so bad that the corpsman who kept him alive during the fight was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor.
The corpsman saved O’Brien’s life, but military surgeons could not save his right arm and right leg.
Fast forward a couple of years and O’Brien is at home going through rehabilitation after getting prosthetic limbs at Walter Reed Hospital. One of his goals is to get back into archery hunting with his dad, and since he is unable to use a compound bow, he wants to take advantage of a New York law that allows disabled hunters to use a crossbow.
The problem is he’s not disabled enough.
Forty-nine of the fifty states have either legalized crossbows outright or have provisions for their use by hunters with disabilities. But in New York the rules are so rigid that if you can pull a trigger you can’t hunt with a crossbow.
O’Brien approached the state legislature to get the law changed, his fight making the newspapers and eventually becoming a topic of conversation on the popular hunting website Tndeer.com.
“That’s how we learned about Mark,” said Todd Smelser, founder of the Knoxville-based Disabled Sportsmen of America. “New York State has told him no repeatedly, so we contacted him and told him we have a hog hunt in Texas we would like to take him on if he was willing.”
On Sept. 8 DSA and Eagle’s Wings Archery in Lenoir City are hosting a benefit archery tournament to raise the final $3,000 needed to get O’Brien and his dad to Tyler, Texas. Since March DSA has raised $7,000 at auctions, cookouts and other events, and is hoping the tournament puts them over the top and O’Brien in Texas.
“As Volunteers living in Tennessee we thought this was a way to step up and help a young man because of what he sacrificed for our country,” Smelser said.
The benefit tournament will begin at 9 a.m. and the entry fee is $20 for ages 11 and older. More than $1,000 in door prizes are going to be given away, not including a distance shot that will have a prize of a Whisper Creek Archery Innovator Bow.
“The hunt in Texas is going to be all expenses paid,” Smelser said. “That’s airfare, food, lodging, the whole nine yards.”
O’Brien, who’s in college majoring in history, isn’t done with Tennesseans once he’s done hunting hogs in Texas.
Smelser said the plan is for him to come to Tennessee in December and hunt deer with his dad. DSA has a lease in Stewart County, but hunters across the state have offered land to Smelser’s organization for not only O’Brien but other disabled hunters looking for a place to hunt.
When the Marine comes to Tennessee he can use a crossbow given to him by Ohio’s Horton Manufacturing. Not only did Horton, a DSA sponsor, set him up with new gear, employees at the company passed the hat and the money collected will help cover the costs of him getting to Texas.
Because of his rehabilitation schedule O’Brien won’t be in Lenoir City the day of the fundraiser. His fight to use a crossbow in New York is ongoing and a state senator has proposed legislation that would change the law and create a crossbow season in 2009.
Resistance to the change is coming from a surprising place.
“The people pushing against the law are traditional bow-hunting groups,” Smelser said.
Those people need to jump on the Internet and read the stories written about the day that changed Mark O’Brien’s life.
Do that and you can’t help but hope the story ends with New York changing its law.
Bob Hodge covers outdoors. He may be reached at 865-342-6314.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/aug/19/tennesseans-come-to-aid-of-disabled-vet-in/
_________________
Woody Williams
Woody Williams
Joined: 09 Oct 2002
Posts: 5408
Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:24 am Post subject: Tennesseans come to aid of disabled vet [hr]
Tennesseans come to aid of disabled vet in Buffalo
By Bob Hodge (Contact)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The story about how a bow hunter from Buffalo, N.Y., is getting to hunt a hog in Texas — thanks to folks from Tennessee — gets its start in Iraq.
It was Nov. 8, 2004, and Cpl. Mark O’Brien, 65 days into his second tour of duty in the war zone, was one of four Marines in a firefight with insurgents in the town of Ramadi. The Marines were under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades were coming close but not hitting the Humvee O’Brien was in.
Three RPGs did little but exploded and caused no damage. The fourth found its way inside the Humvee. A metal piercing round, the grenade came through the Humvee’s door and literally landed on the then 21-year-old Marine.
O’Brien’s life changed forever the second it exploded.
His wounds were so bad that the corpsman who kept him alive during the fight was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor.
The corpsman saved O’Brien’s life, but military surgeons could not save his right arm and right leg.
Fast forward a couple of years and O’Brien is at home going through rehabilitation after getting prosthetic limbs at Walter Reed Hospital. One of his goals is to get back into archery hunting with his dad, and since he is unable to use a compound bow, he wants to take advantage of a New York law that allows disabled hunters to use a crossbow.
The problem is he’s not disabled enough.
Forty-nine of the fifty states have either legalized crossbows outright or have provisions for their use by hunters with disabilities. But in New York the rules are so rigid that if you can pull a trigger you can’t hunt with a crossbow.
O’Brien approached the state legislature to get the law changed, his fight making the newspapers and eventually becoming a topic of conversation on the popular hunting website Tndeer.com.
“That’s how we learned about Mark,” said Todd Smelser, founder of the Knoxville-based Disabled Sportsmen of America. “New York State has told him no repeatedly, so we contacted him and told him we have a hog hunt in Texas we would like to take him on if he was willing.”
On Sept. 8 DSA and Eagle’s Wings Archery in Lenoir City are hosting a benefit archery tournament to raise the final $3,000 needed to get O’Brien and his dad to Tyler, Texas. Since March DSA has raised $7,000 at auctions, cookouts and other events, and is hoping the tournament puts them over the top and O’Brien in Texas.
“As Volunteers living in Tennessee we thought this was a way to step up and help a young man because of what he sacrificed for our country,” Smelser said.
The benefit tournament will begin at 9 a.m. and the entry fee is $20 for ages 11 and older. More than $1,000 in door prizes are going to be given away, not including a distance shot that will have a prize of a Whisper Creek Archery Innovator Bow.
“The hunt in Texas is going to be all expenses paid,” Smelser said. “That’s airfare, food, lodging, the whole nine yards.”
O’Brien, who’s in college majoring in history, isn’t done with Tennesseans once he’s done hunting hogs in Texas.
Smelser said the plan is for him to come to Tennessee in December and hunt deer with his dad. DSA has a lease in Stewart County, but hunters across the state have offered land to Smelser’s organization for not only O’Brien but other disabled hunters looking for a place to hunt.
When the Marine comes to Tennessee he can use a crossbow given to him by Ohio’s Horton Manufacturing. Not only did Horton, a DSA sponsor, set him up with new gear, employees at the company passed the hat and the money collected will help cover the costs of him getting to Texas.
Because of his rehabilitation schedule O’Brien won’t be in Lenoir City the day of the fundraiser. His fight to use a crossbow in New York is ongoing and a state senator has proposed legislation that would change the law and create a crossbow season in 2009.
Resistance to the change is coming from a surprising place.
“The people pushing against the law are traditional bow-hunting groups,” Smelser said.
Those people need to jump on the Internet and read the stories written about the day that changed Mark O’Brien’s life.
Do that and you can’t help but hope the story ends with New York changing its law.
Bob Hodge covers outdoors. He may be reached at 865-342-6314.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/aug/19/tennesseans-come-to-aid-of-disabled-vet-in/
_________________
Woody Williams
08-22-2007, 07:30 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: arkansas
Posts: 3,147
RE: Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
Just heard a nasty rumor Eagle Wing sells Excals too, lol. How about it?? Anybody thinking about going to this?? Smokepole is planning on trying once again to out shoot me, watching an old man cry should be worth something, lol
08-23-2007, 04:58 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Land of Rocks, Ozarks of Mo.
Posts: 3,048
RE: Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
I ain't planning on out shooting you, i am gonna do it[
]. awshucks will you show mewhich one is the target. I don't have my glasses, Dan i ain't blind that kinda looks like a red barn![:-]
]. awshucks will you show mewhich one is the target. I don't have my glasses, Dan i ain't blind that kinda looks like a red barn![:-]
08-24-2007, 04:02 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Land of Rocks, Ozarks of Mo.
Posts: 3,048
RE: Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
Well now shucky darn,spect this old fat country fellerneeds a lesson in how to shoot one of them CB's! Reckon a couple of us was already a coming on fer this hereRodeo.
08-24-2007, 08:56 AM
#6
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 7
RE: Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
LOL @ Smokepole!
I have only been shooting one for about 3 months so I am sure you and Awshucks could teach me some things!
We will be having a Unknown Distance dot shoot for the crossbows also.
$2.00 per bolt, Hit the 2" dot and your name goes in the hat to win 50% of the funds raised in the Crossbow dot shoot! The more you shoot the more you could win!We are also gonna be having a get together after the shoot at one of theProstaff members house so feel free to come on over!It will be BYOB, Will be a great time!
I look forward to meeting you guys!
I have only been shooting one for about 3 months so I am sure you and Awshucks could teach me some things!
We will be having a Unknown Distance dot shoot for the crossbows also.
$2.00 per bolt, Hit the 2" dot and your name goes in the hat to win 50% of the funds raised in the Crossbow dot shoot! The more you shoot the more you could win!We are also gonna be having a get together after the shoot at one of theProstaff members house so feel free to come on over!It will be BYOB, Will be a great time!
I look forward to meeting you guys!
08-24-2007, 08:56 AM
#7
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 7
RE: Tn Comes to Aid Disabled Vet
LOL @ Smokepole!
I have only been shooting one for about 3 months so I am sure you and Awshucks could teach me some things!
We will be having a Unknown Distance dot shoot for the crossbows also.
$2.00 per bolt, Hit the 2" dot and your name goes in the hat to win 50% of the funds raised in the Crossbow dot shoot! The more you shoot the more you could win!We are also gonna be having a get together after the shoot at one of theProstaff members house so feel free to come on over!It will be BYOB, Will be a great time!
I look forward to meeting you guys!
I have only been shooting one for about 3 months so I am sure you and Awshucks could teach me some things!
We will be having a Unknown Distance dot shoot for the crossbows also.
$2.00 per bolt, Hit the 2" dot and your name goes in the hat to win 50% of the funds raised in the Crossbow dot shoot! The more you shoot the more you could win!We are also gonna be having a get together after the shoot at one of theProstaff members house so feel free to come on over!It will be BYOB, Will be a great time!
I look forward to meeting you guys!
[:-][