Six of our Heroes traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for some world class waterfowl hunting, fishing, great food, and bonding time with their fellow Purple Heart recipients. Celebrating thirteen years of honoring our Heroes, this event encapsulates how a community can come together to serve and give back to those who have given so much on our behalf.
This was evidenced by the tremendous outpouring of appreciation and gratitude shown to our Heroes throughout their stay. An example of this remarkable community involvement was shown as our Heroes arrived in Currituck as the NC Patriot Guard, Currituck County Sheriff, Currituck County Fire Department, a local Jeep club, and hundreds of members of the local community gathered to welcome, honor and show their appreciation for our Heroes. They were given a large and memorable escort through town as members of the local community lined the streets, waving flags, holding up signs, applauding, cheering, and expressing their appreciation to our Heroes for their tremendous service and sacrifice. It was an incredible way to begin this memorable event and our Heroes were moved by the outpouring of care and the displays of gratitude and patriotism from this remarkable community.
The accommodations, food, and hospitality extended to our Heroes could not have been better. Our Heroes had an extraordinary time in the field hunting and harvesting duck and geese. They also had a great time on the water fishing for yellowfin tuna courtesy of Hitman Sportfishing. As great as the hunting and fishing were, our combat-wounded Warriors appreciated the outstanding camaraderie, stories, laughter, and friendships made throughout the course of this event. This was unquestionably the highlight for everyone involved.
One of the Veterans on the event shared the following:
'This is my first time with WWIA, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I am a kind of a stick-to-myself kind of guy, so I was a little nervous about it. I was met with open arms and made to feel comfortable from day one. The welcoming ceremony and ride in were amazing. It was great to see patriotism is still alive and well. Everyone went out of their way to make us all feel appreciated and special. I also met a guy here that I deployed with to Iraq and Afghanistan, what luck, it's such a small world. It was a great opportunity to talk about and remember people that I hadn't thought of in over 15 years. It was good to actually talk to someone and have them know what the hell I was talking about. This organization is such a great tool to get people like me out, talking with other veterans with similar experiences. Without WWIA these past few days of conversation wouldn't have been possible. I will definitely be recommending these events to other Purple Heart veterans."
