In the military we are trained to shoot to live and to keep our brothers alive to our left and right. When we get home, we take that with us and those we lost along the way. In combat the sound of blasts or explosions meant we were under attack and maybe lost a friend.

I never realized how much the sound of an explosion affected me until after I was home for a while. Healing began behind the gun again and associating the blast sounds in a positive way by harvesting a deer or goose and shooting at a range. Just going hunting was retraining my brain to get back what I lost and loved, just being outdoors. NPLB saved many lives through the hunting and fishing programs.

I witnessed many of the lost souls come through the program over the years return home better and healed in many ways. The volunteers shared their love for the veterans through hunting and fishing and it helped a lot of us really come home. The pieces of our lives once left overseas in a war zone began to return to us. It is not the government that can ever do love, but only kindness from those who are willing. Thank you NPLB.