Rising in the middle of the night had not been my practice since my last deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. On this September morning I was pursuing a different mission, with different support. Though both activities were similar in a way, my work in Afghanistan required focus, commitment, situational awareness and mission support. The last --- mission support --- was the impetus that triggered my job of being flown across many countries to save critically wounded service members.
The same could be said of the support given by volunteers of Arizona Elk Society’s Heroes Rising Outdoors program. Randy and Seth Burton are a father-son team knowledgeable about elk and their behavior in the forests surrounding Flagstaff, Arizona. I had received an elk tag for a special hunt on Camp Navajo Army Depot. They helped me process the paperwork to grant me access and also agreed to guide me on my hunt --- things were looking up!
I packed my go bag and readied my 7mm magnum rifle the night before my hunt was to begin. I awoke opening morning to find the air crisp with the smell of smoke from a distant forest fire. I stepped outside to find Randy and Seth waiting for me in their warmed-up truck. We were all eager to head to the spot they had chosen to set up to bugle and find some elk. Thomas St. Pierre, another volunteer guide / butcher, would be waiting nearby to help us should we be successful and slip my tag on an elk. When we arrived at our destination, Seth began to send out locate bugles as dawn began to break. Two separate bulls proceeded to answer his calls for close to thirty minutes. It got to where they sounded very close, but we were still unable to make them out through the trees in the early light.
Then all went quiet. Seth whispered that another group of hunters in front of us had pushed the bulls farther west. The sun was just cresting the horizon as I stood there transfixed. We had listened to these amazing elk for half an hour --- I felt I needed a little time to compose myself. The day was truly glorious. My ability to walk on uneven ground is limited because of spinal cord injuries sustained on my last mission in Afghanistan. Even though I had the use of trekking poles when we left the truck, walking through the woods was awkward. Randy saw me stumble more than once. Each time he immediately held out a hand and then his shoulder to help me maintain my balance. I was relieved to find I could get around in the forest without the back pain I had expected.
After our rest break, Seth and I set out for a spot not far from that morning’s bugling action. Seth’s good friend, Heroes Rising Outdoors volunteer guide Morgan Rice, came with us for the late afternoon hunt. A light rain began to fall. We hadn’t been bugling long before two 6x6 bulls made their way toward us through the forest. Although they came into range at 200 yards, no safe shot presented itself. Boy, were they beautiful!
Back to the truck and we motored on. Due to my limited physical capabilities, I hold a CHAMP permit granted by Arizona Game & Fish Department. Normally I am very silent when I hunt from a vehicle. As we rounded a curve in the road, that was about to change. My eyes had been drawn to a distant mark in the forest. I had spotted a large “elk looking” stump at about 200 yards. As I began to scan the forest, the largest 6x6 bull I had seen up close appeared to me just 50 yards away! The bull was bedded down, waiting out the drizzle.
From somewhere I heard my Command Voice order “STOP!” Then “DON’T MOVE!” Two things happened immediately --- Seth stomped on the brakes and I bailed out of the truck! Just how much finesse and grace were involved is hard to say. At that close range, it took me a moment to find the bull in my scope. I centered the cross hairs behind the bull’s shoulder. Two quick shots and Mission Complete! I held the bull’s head in my hands as memories of past experiences resurfaced. I started to tell Seth and Morgan how important the bull was to me, and ultimately to my family and friends.
Upon saving each of our 156 critically wounded soldiers on my team’s 59 Critical Care Air Transport (CCATT) missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, we were able to check off “Mission Complete.” For the last 10 years, though, I have been plagued daily with intrusive thoughts of horrific things seen and experienced during my years of service.
Thankfully, my time spent with Heroes Rising Outdoors has now helped me deal with those troubling thoughts from past deployments. It encompassed skilled preparation, selfless support, and an amazing hunt ending in “mission complete.” It’s all rather unworldly. I now have dreams of bugling elk, the stillness of a September morning, the competency of experienced guides, and of course my bull. We locked eyes that day. His gift goes far beyond what I could have imagined.