Thanks from Wounded Warriors

When Jesse Mann and I talked about forming a stand-alone Wounded Warriors organization based here in Columbia Falls, we hoped we could convince the community that taking wounded veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq on high-quality hunting and fishing trips here in Montana would be well received.

Honestly, things have gone as good or better than I could have hoped. From the start, the people of Columbia Falls and the greater valley have shown a great amount of generosity towards our wounded veterans.

This spring started with the North Valley Sportsman Club and Flathead Valley Clay Target Club making generous donations. Over the summer, several individuals stepped up to provide donations.

This was followed by our first outing in September, as we brought four Wounded Warriors here to fish on the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River. This outing was made possible by the generous support of Darwon Stoneman and Sally Thompson of Glacier Raft Co. and the Columbia Falls Rotary Club.

We followed the fishing trip with a hunting trip near Fort Peck where we brought four Wounded Warriors from around the state and had a very successful trip, even in a tough year of hunting. This trip would never have been possible without the financial support of the Columbia Falls Eagles Aerie 4081 and continued support from the Rotary Club of Columbia Falls.

The board of directors of Montana Wounded Warriors, Jesse Mann, Justin Breck, Dr. David Sheldon, Kristi Taylor and Neil Baumann, would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make our first year such a huge success for the veterans involved.

Our Wounded Warriors were grateful for the no-expense trips we provided them, but they would tell you that the interaction with other soldiers who had been wounded in combat was a very important part of the healing process they've been going through.

Going forward, we will do everything possible to keep providing this support for our Montana veterans, and we want our supporters to know that all donations go to help our Wounded Warriors. We have no paid staff, it's all for them, it's the least we can do. Thank you.

Neil Baumann lives in Columbia Falls.