The Independence Fund’s (TIF) Tactical Program partnered with Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) and Veterans Equine Therapeutic Services (VETS) last weekend for a two-day event. The Ruck Up event brought 14 veterans together for a day of shooting at Niantic Sportsmen’s Club and a day to learn outdoor survival skills at the VETS facility located in Stonington, Connecticut.
HAVA took lead with the firearms portion of this event and partnered with Matthew Fleisher, president of the Niantic Sportsmen’s Club in Niantic, Conneticut, where the veterans shot pistol, long range .22 rifle, and archery. TIF donated funds to ensure that each participant was able to go home with the same recurve bows they learned how to shoot with during the event. Niantic Sportsmen’s Club donated the use of their facility and provided lunch and snacks for the event. The volunteers and participants were deeply appreciative to them as well as all our other sponsors for providing the support needed to ensure the participants had a safe, educational and fun experience.
The VETS staff conducted the outdoor survival skills training on the 10th. Participants learned valuable survival skills such as shelter, fire building, as well as how to approach, pack and lead horses if necessary in survival situations. Bob Stefanowski, a local businessman and politician running for governor in the upcoming Connecticut election came to show his support for the veteran community at the VETS ranch on Sunday. A reporter from The Day newspaper and Lee Elsi from radio station 94.9 were there to cover the event as well.
SFC (R) Elias Brooks US Army had this to say about the event:
“Being able to connect with other veterans as both participants and instructors was amazing. Getting to shoot weapons and bows/arrows with world class instructors really helped increase my knowledge and capabilities. On Sunday, our interaction with horses was just good for your soul. The camaraderie and togetherness amongst a group of people that just met was exactly what I needed. I’d love to give a huge thank you to HAVA, VETS-CT, ACADEMI, Sig Sauer, Halls Archery, and Black Rifle Coffee for all they did in sponsoring this event.”
SFC Brooks is an employee of ACADEMI as well as a two-time Bronze star recipient with V devices on each award.
“Planning this event went smoothly with the help of all of our volunteers and the professionalism they showed,” says Kurt Herzberg, event lead and firearms instructor for HAVA. “We look forward to making this a yearly event and will make every effort to continue to provide a safe and memorable experience for the veteran community.” Kurt goes on to say that the smiles on the faces of the veterans were all the thanks we need. The feedback from the vets was overwhelmingly positive. “It just feels good to be remembered and appreciated,” said one participant who asked to not be mentioned.
TIF’s Tactical program provides opportunities for our nation’s catastrophically wounded, injured, or ill veterans to re-engage with hobbies they love, like the sport of hunting and shooting through partner ranges and hunting locations across the country. Additionally, the TIF Tactical shooting team competes in tactical games across the nation, representing The Independence Fund.
The Independence Fund, HAVA, and VETS would like to thank Black Rifle Coffee for providing coffee for the events and participants, ACADEMI LLC for providing instructors as well as professional medical staff in case of an injury, Niantic Sportsmen’s Club for providing their facility as well as food for the event and Robertson Michaud for providing the pasta sauce from his company Michaud’s Foods.
