Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…

By Liv Stecker

The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

As families across the nations trundle into airports and minivans to make their annual pilgrimage home, I found myself boarding a plane eastbound to Washington DC with my two youngest girls this December, to visit my family and make the obligatory rounds in the District of Columbia.

On our first night in The Capitol, we paid a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery, where we caught the last shuttle through the monument for the day. I hadn’t visited the ANC since I was a little girl, when I remember feeling awestruck at the somber ceremony for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the time, my very loose grasp on what it all meant made it difficult for me to sit still, except the sense of peace and tranquility and the respectful energy emanating off of the crowd in the warm, early summer air, made it feel very important to me to keep my restless, eight-year-old mind still. Now, 32 years later, I stand next to my 14 and 17-year-old daughters, knowing they understand more clearly, what the empty tombs in front of them represent.

One is for the unidentified World War I soldier, laid to rest without a name, to honor the thousands of others like him, who, without the aid of DNA identification, were disfigured or destroyed beyond recognition, separated somehow from their dogtags and any other evidence of who they once were. And then, in front of the marble sarcophagus, the three flat gravestones that represent the Unknown Dead of World War II, the Korean War, and one to represent the many thousands of missing service members in all conflicts, whose ends remains unknown. The fourth tomb was formerly the Unknown Soldier of Vietnam, but in 1998, the remains were exhumed and using newly developed DNA analysis, 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie of the United States Air Force, who was shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, was identified and returned to his family for proper burial.

a view of Washington DC from the cemetery

Behind the four tombs, rows upon rows of white headstones sprawl out above the DC skyline. As the sun began to set, the glow backlit the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome that were nestled into the cityscape beyond the eternal flame where John F. Kennedy is buried with his family. These 624 acres hold more story in them than an entire nation can bear to hear. More than 400,000 honored dead find their final resting place at ANC. Nearly 30 burials a day are conducted at the cemetery, some, as aging warriors spend their final hours peacefully at home, and others, younger, who have met violent deaths in far away places - and a few at home.

After we watched the final Changing of the Guard for the day, it was nearly dark and the cemetery staff was eager to escort us all out through the gates so they could close, but I had one last mission to accomplish. I have been working on a story about a friend of a friend. A Marine warrior who lost his life in 2014. A hero who had received a Purple Heart after he lost both legs when two anti-tank mines exploded under his transport in Iraq. A fighter who went on to compete in the paralympics as a skier and a marathon runner with prosthetic legs. Casey Owens died in October of 2014 by his own hand after years of fighting a greater enemy than the one that blew him up in the middle east. He is memorialized by a simple white headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, and after learning Owen’s story, I was intent to find it and pay my respects.

My girls were up for the adventure when we snuck past the cemetery guards ushering guests out and trotted off into the darkening gravesites. The last supermoon of 2017 was rising overhead as we followed the directions to his grave, giving us some light as all of the street lights in the cemetery area were turning off. It was an eerie sight, rows of glowing white marble in the chilly moonlight, our breath puffing out in big clouds was the only company as we moved through the graves.

We passed an open area about the size of half a football field that had exposed dirt and a couple of freshly opened grave spots. I realized that we were in the area where soldiers who were recently killed would be buried, and the space was ready to welcome the latest fallen heroes. My heart tightened at the thought of that space filling up, and the new graves that had just been dug, running through a catalog of the recent fallen in my mind.

My daugther found Owens’ headstone, where a little American Flag sat quietly at the base, as if lying peacefully out of the breeze so as not to disturb the resting Marine. Owens died at his own hand, but he was no less the warrior, and no less dead for his service than any other hero laid to rest in Arlington. He lays among ancient sailors from generations ago, and soldiers from the Revolutionary War. He rests among United States Presidents, astronauts, and I am sure, more than one or two scoundrels in the 400,000 graves interred there with the heroes and their families.

Owens, like so many others, will not be with his family this Christmas. No airports or minivans or sleeping on the couch. But in addition to the warriors like Owens who lie at rest in Arlington, we have more than 1.3 million active duty troops stationed around the world, including my own brother-in-law, and the son of one of my best friends. Most of them are away from their families this holiday season, but our earnest hope and prayer is that it will be one of the last holiday seasons they spend apart from us, and that their place at Arlington National Cemetery will remain empty for a very long time, until, like many of the Cemetery residence, old age peacefully beckons them to the halls of Valhalla.

Until then, remember our troops deployed, or on duty while visions of sugarplums dance in our heads. Remember the ones fallen, and the ones who were overtaken by the enemy after they returned home. Reach out to the soldiers and veterans you know, thank them for the holidays that they have missed so that we never miss one.  

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Wreaths Across America program, placing a wreath at the gravesite of every fallen soldier during the holiday season, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org where you can sign up to hang wreaths locally or donate to support the cause. Join us in remember our troops this holiday season.

“The Torch Be Yours To Hold It High”…

By Liv Stecker

It was the War To End All Wars. World War I officially came to a close on June 28, 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, but it was seven months earlier on November 11th that a broken and defeated Germany requested the armistice that brought an end to the gruesome bloodshed that redefined the rules of warfare for all of time. It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when the Allies signed an armistice with Germany in allied leader Ferdinand Foch's railway carriage in the remote Forest of Compiègne, north of Paris.  

World War I saw the rise of automatic weapons, tanks, toxic gases, and for the first time in history, warfare in the air as planes and zeppelins were deployed on missions of destruction. Terms like “Shell Shock” and “Trench warfare” came into existence, and with them, the disturbing effects of disease and ongoing trauma that they carry. Nearly 10 million soldiers died in the First World War, soldiers from the sixteen nations involved in the conflict. Civilian losses in Europe reached nearly 9 million during the widespread destruction.

In 1915, from a battlefield near Ypres, Belgium, Canadian surgeon John McCrae penned the words to “In Flanders Field,” a poem that would establish the red poppy as a symbol of veterans, living and dead, over the generations.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae

 In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you, from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,

In Flanders fields.

This coming Veteran’s Day, show your support for the veterans in our local community by purchasing a Big Voice Grunt Style Veteran’s Day t-shirt! If you’ve never worn an authentic Grunt Style t-shirt, you really have no idea what you’re missing. Incredibly soft but durable, Grunt Style is a veteran owned and operated company that takes pride in making t-shirts that you never want to take off. This special Veteran’s Day edition was designed collaboratively by the Big Voice and the vets and Grunt Style.

100% of the proceeds from these shirts will go to fund local veterans to participate in recreational outlets, including all expenses paid local guided hunts, shooting competitions, and sports team sponsorships.

Our goal at the Big Voice is to connect our local (Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille Counties) vets with outlets and opportunities to thank them for their service and to make sure they know that we value the sacrifice they have made. We strive to provide the tools to make transition from military service to civilian life better and more fulfilling for our former and current service members.

T-shirts are available online  now with free shipping at https://americanfreedomfund.org/product/support-our-troops-tshirt/. They come in men’s sizes small to 2XL. You can get your Veteran’s Day Grunt Style t-shirt from the Big Voice by calling us at 509-675-3504 or emailing thebigvoice31@gmail.com if you’d prefer to pick up your shirt in Colville at Country Chevrolet.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU: HOLDOVERS FROM MILITARY SERVICE IN EVERYDAY LIFE

By Liv Stecker

Real life can be tough. If you’ve served on deployment,  Mother Necessity most definitely birthed some ingenuitive inventions to make living down range a little more comfortable. From wet-sock canteen coolers to terrain based land navigation and the value of a safety pin, tricks of the war trade continue to serve veterans in their civilian lives.  

LINER, WET WEATHER, PONCHO : Hands down, the most loved, oft-heralded, never relinquished piece of military issue known to man, or woman, the woobie stands fiercely at the head of the pack of must-haves in the cold, cruel civilian world. Soldier turned firefighter, sailor turned cop, marine turned coach, all have this in common: love for the woobie. This versatile square of quilted bliss was recently upgraded with a built in zipper and improved insulation technology. As if it needed help.

“It’s the most comfortable, awesome, soft, perfect piece of fabric ever invented in the history of military equipment and I love it.” Says Ian Pickett, former marine.

TRI-FOLD ENTRENCHING TOOL (E-TOOL) : Because when it hits the fan, sometimes you’ve got to dig your way out. Whether you’re constructing an emergency latrine or, ahem, covering up evidence… this handle, collapsible tool might be your lifesaver.

FIGHTING/UTILITY KNIFE : Whether you’re still packing your marine issued Ka-Bar, Ontario ASEK, or an MK 3 Navy Issue, you’ll be hard pressed to find a vet who’s done time out of country that isn’t sporting an all-purpose blade of some sort. While most SOF guys go for customized numbers from companies like Benchmade and Gerber there are a growing number of small bladesmith start-ups, many veteran owned and operated. Either way, the consensus is don’t leave home without one.

LIGHT, CHEMILUMINESCENT : OK, so maybe you aren’t packing around a dozen orange glow-sticks in case of sudden blackouts or flash mob raves, but while field going service members might not agree on which form of portable light is the best, they all agree that some form is necessary. The best part about a chemlight is that you can’t accidentally burn out the batteries and they’re cheap.

CORD, FIBROUS, NYLON : Now that everybody’s got their own “survival bracelet” woven out of handy, find-anywhere neon colors, you’ll never be too far out of reach of a decent length of 550, or para cord, another must have in hunting/camping/zombie fighting kits for everyone. We won’t bore you with the millions of applications of this handy stuff. Plus if you’re bored you can braid cute jewelry for gifts.

STOVE, COOKING, GASOLINE : We’ve come a long way since 1942 when the army commissioned the Coleman company to produce 5,000 single burner gas stoves for soldiers on the  African front. But even then, World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle said the “G.I. Stove” was second only to the Jeep in frontline usefulness. Modern operators enjoy a variety of personal camp stoves, and leading the charge is the JetBoil, a lightweight, rapid cooking system that is as hardy as it is practical.

FIRST AID KIT, GENERAL PURPOSE : Any soldier worth his mettle will tell you how important it is to be ready for medical emergencies, but it’s the tried and true warriors that know what really matters when it comes to life saving. Advancements in lifesaving equipment have come a long way since the gauze, iodine and ammonia that soldiers carried in World War I. Tourniquets new on the market like the RATs tourniquet are fast and easy for self  or one-handed application, and most seasoned vets will tell you that there’s nothing that you can’t fix with contractor grade trash bags and safety pins. And every good first aid kid needs a sharpie for marking tourniquet application times. The best part about this bare-bones doctor’s bag is that it’s multipurpose. Throw in some Benadryl, baby wipes and duct tape and you’re ready for anything.

BOX, MATCH, WATERPROOF : If you weren’t lucky enough to get your hands on a Black Crackle Zippo lighter in WWII, you probably had one of these. Matches or a windproof lighter are always a good thing to have on hand.

But it’s really the mental flexibility that military service demands that is the most useful takeaway from time in any branch. Army Ranger turned Hunting Guide Kyle Kowalski says that his training has served him more in civilian life than any of his Army issued tools.

“The biggest thing is probably problem solving, really. Anything can be accomplished. It might be sloppy, but then it will be refined, re-planned rehearsed and re-executed until becoming proficient in that task.” Kowalski says.

Budweiser and Adam Driver Hit a Home Run with Independence Day Ad

While he may have broken hero loving hearts everywhere when he killed Han Solo, Adam Driver isn't all super villain. The 33 year-old actor teamed up with Budweiser to deliver some good news to Hayley Grace Williams, the daughter of a US Army Veteran who applied for a scholarship from Budweiser's Folds of Honor program.

Driver served in the US Marine Corps but was injured just before his unit deployed to Iraq, something he shared in common with William's father, who suffered a back injury and was unable to deploy with his army unit.

Watch the moving mini-documentary that Budweiser released just in time for the Fourth of July, and happy Independence Day!

Kettle Falls American Legion gives back to veterans

By Liv Stecker

Legion Member Bob West presents Dan Litzenberger with a donation for Freedom Has a Face

American Legion Post 146 in Kettle Falls, Washington make up in might what they lack in numbers. The small collection of dedicated veterans who provide a place for service members from all generations to congregate has stepped up to the plate one more time to make a donation to the Freedom Has A Face Foundation (FHAF).

Freedom Has A Face was recently the focus of a fundraising Historical Shootout at Bull Hill Training Ranch outside of Kettle Falls that involved veterans, active duty service members and civilians from all over the area. Kettle Falls American Legion heard about the fundraising effort and voted to contribute to the cause. Legion member Bob West visited Bull Hill Training Ranch to present former Army Ranger Dan Litzenberger with a check for the donation. Litzenberger started the ranch and historical shootouts as a way to not only provide a recreational outlet for veterans but also to raise funds for causes like FHAF.

The Freedom Has A Face foundation is dedicated to the financial and emotional support of family members of service members killed in action. Based in California, the foundation provides resources for families of fallen soldiers all over the United States. Extended family of the founders of FHAF live outside of Northport, Washington, and were on hand at the shootout to help feed the competitors.

Because of generous contributions from dedicated individuals and groups like American Legion Post 146, Bull Hill Training Ranch was able to support FHAF in their mission to care for military families. The Kettle Falls American Legion Post 146 is committed to the well-being of veterans from all generations and welcome all to their monthly meetings and the many social events they have scheduled throughout the year.

Traditional veterans organizations like the American Legion and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) have seen a steady decline in membership since they burgeoned after the first World War. Changes in social trends and technology have removed the younger generation of veterans from the face-to-face gathering that was so crucial to the veterans of World War 2, Korea and Vietnam. Younger veterans find themselves absorbed in a less personal network of online socialization and often miss the connection that sitting down in a Legion Post or VFW Hall with veterans from other generations can provide. If you are a vet, check into what your local veterans organizations have to offer you, or maybe more importantly, what you can offer them. (Many of them have Facebook pages!)

Kettle Falls American Legion Post 146

amlpost146kettlefallswa@hotmail.com

https://www.legion.org/

Chewelah V.F.W. #2047

PO Box 913, Chewelah, WA  99109           

Frank Starr American Legion #47

103 E. 6th Ave, Colville, WA  99114

509 684-8480 or 509 685-9680

J F Folsom Chewelah American Legion #54

111 W. South Ave, Chewelah, WA  99109

509 935-8464

Kelley O’Keefe V.F.W. #6963

135 Highway 20 E., Colville, WA  99114

509 684-8795

Kettle Falls American Legion#146

1057 Highway 395 N., Kettle Falls, WA  99141

509 738-6999

Northport American Legion #158

PO Box 96, Northport, WA  99157

Wellpinit V.F.W. #10711

PO Box 180, Wellpinit, WA  99040

509 258-7331

Remembering D-Day

Omaha Beach Memorial

By Liv Stecker

June 6, 1944

“...The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you.”

- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s address to invading troops

 160,000 allied troops descend upon a 50 mile stretch of coastline in Northern France. 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 sea-going vessels spread across Normandy like a swarm for Operation Overlord. It was the turning point of the war. It was do or die. It was D-Day.

 Never before and never since has such a broadly coordinated attack taken place on the global theater of war. Within the day, the allies had the foothold they so desperately needed on the European Continent in order to take the Nazi Regime in hand. 9,000 men died on those beaches and cliffs. A high price to pay to gain the strategic upper-hand, but it was the first step the Allies needed to begin their slow sweep across Europe, routing Hitler’s army.

 Interestingly, in one of the largest sea-to-land offensive strikes in history, the US Marines, who were created for just such attacks, were not deployed. Waiting in the wings to provide support, they watched as the US Army Infantry and AIrborne descended en masse along with British and Canadian forces.

Memorial to the Army Rangers at Pointe du Hoc

 Six 155 MM German guns sat perched atop a cliff between beaches that had been dubbed Omaha and Utah by invading forces. The artillery posed a critical threat to troops as they landed on both beaches. Army Rangers from the 2nd and 5th Battalions, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder were assigned to capture the cliff at Pointe Du Hoc, considered by allied planners to be one of the most dangerous offensives of the operation. The Germans believed the point to be impenetrable by enemy forces. Even a US Intelligence Officer told strategists that “Three old women with brooms could keep the Rangers from climbing that cliff.” But Rudder and his Rangers were undaunted. Landing on the narrow beaches at low tide, the die-hard Rangers scaled the cliff with ropes and ladders, securing the German guns ultimately determining the outcome of the entire operation. The Rangers suffered a 70% casualty rate that day.

 The initial phases of the largest airborne attack in history were characterized by disorganization and confusion that resulted in paratrooper scattered far beyond the targeted drop zones. In spite of the chaos, Allied troops pushed through with such determination that German forces were eventually pressed back and the objectives of Operation Overlord were achieved.

Giving War a Face: Catherine Leroy

Corpsman in anguish, 1967, © Catherine Leroy

By Liv Stecker

She stood five feet tall, but only with her boots on. She was one of only two female journalists covering the war in Vietnam (the other, Dickie Chappelle, was killed by a grenade in 1965) , and the diminutive French girl was the last thing you’d expect to see parachuting in with American troops, but the 90 pound photographer became the only known accredited photojournalist to accomplish this mission, and with it, capture some of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War that the world would ever see.

Catherine Leroy was raised in a convent in Paris, France, where a boyfriend taught her how to skydive as a teenager. She was enthralled with photojournalism, and at the age of 21 (her age was never confirmed), she bought a one way ticket to Saigon and landed in the war zone with only a few dollars and her small Leica M2 camera in hand. Her goal was to “give war a human face”. On the flight from Paris, she met someone who introduced her to Life magazine photojournalist Charles Bonnay, who helped her get the press credentials she lacked and within days she was on her way to the front lines.

Catherine Leroy, 1967

A licensed parachutist, Leroy jumped with the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade into combat during Operation Junction City in February of 1967. It was in this action, the battle for Hill 881, that Leroy photographed U.S. Navy Corpsman Vernon Wike as he rushed to the aid of a fallen comrade. “Corpsman in anguish” is the third frame of a series that Leroy shot, capturing the unimaginable grief of war. Later, in an interview for the documentary “The Hill Fights”, Wike recounted the moment that Leroy photographed.

“I know there was chaos going on around me, but there was no sound,” he says. “...I knew he didn’t have a chance, but I still got p-----d off when he died.” Leroy describes the aftermath as the corpsman “lost in this nightmare landscape” grabbed the fallen marine’s M16 and charged a Viet bunker alone in a hail of obscenities. The fallen marine was a man called “Rock”, a New Yorker from Puerto Rico. Earlier that day he had told Wike that he only had 60 days left “in country” - his deployment in Vietnam.  

Two weeks later, Leroy was wounded near the demilitarized zone where she was embedded with a Marine unit. The next year, the photojournalist was captured by the North Vietnamese Army during the TET Offensive, along with another French journalist. Somehow, the blonde girl talked them into releasing them and before they left their captors she interviewed them and took photographs for a story in Life magazine which she wrote. Leroy kept in contact with Wike over the years. The Navy veteran came home and struggled through readjusting to civilian life as an icon of an unpopular war and the death it brought.  

Along with the American Soldiers lost in countless battles across the globe, the warriors who come home to continue fighting the demons they have encountered are still here among us. Veterans like Wike who have lost more in a small window of time than many of us lose over a lifetime are very much alive and still at war against less obvious enemies. Rarely have civilian audiences been given the intimate glimpse of war that Leroy provided. What the photographer captured in the face of Wilke on the hill in Vietnam is as close to the horror of war as any of us will ever come, and in this, Leroy accomplished her mission. She gave war a face, and it was the face of an American Soldier.

U.S. Navy Corpsman Vernon Wike, Catherine Leroy

Sniper’s Aim: Dan Litzenberger and his training ranch

By Liv stecker

“Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong, and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task, whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.” - Army Ranger Creed

Dan Litzenberger grew up in Spokane with a family that was not into guns. Even though his grandfather had fought in World War II and he had an uncle in the Coast Guard, guns and the military were not part of the family dynamic through his childhood. But when he graduated from high school in 2007, Dan enlisted in the Army right away.

 Going through basic, one of Dan’s drill sergeants told Dan he should consider a ranger contract. At first Dan laughed it off, but after thinking about it, decided he would give it a try. “I had always thought special operations guys like ranger and Navy SEALS were like super humans.” He laughs, relating that it took some persuading to convince him that he had the potential for it.

 He was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Regiment and sent to Fort Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, where he underwent ranger training. “You were physically and mentally tested to limits you didn’t think you could go to,” he says about Ranger training, “but you can’t quit, and there is no problem you can’t solve.”  Part of Ranger training included SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) School where Rangers are trained to withstand torture and avoid capture in the field.

 After ranger training he was assigned to one of the three SOF (special operations forces) units, tasked with the elimination of high value targets and terrorist cell interruption. Operating in 2 man attachments to ranger platoons, snipers learn to adapt and work in a constantly changing dynamic. “We learned to cut our own path to success,” says Kyle Kowalski, one of Dan’s closest friends and a fellow ranger who went through training with him. Rangers are trained to think outside the box and adapt and overcome any obstacle to their mission.

 Dan served 6 deployments, but it wasn’t until 2010 when he watched an Army Ranger sniper in action and decided he wanted to join the sniper section. “I fell in love with learning the science and math behind it - it’s kind of like an art form.” Dan says of long range target shooting. After two sniper deployments, Dan was medically retired from the rangers in 2016, leaving the service with an Army Commendation Medal with Valor for his performance during the Global War on Terror. “It wasn’t because I was a sniper that always had success,” Dan says of his time overseas, but every missed target became an opportunity to learn and grow as a sniper and as a soldier.

 Dan has brought that passion for learning and teaching back to civilian life at Bull Hill Training Ranch, where his vision for training active duty military and law enforcement snipers as well as civilian long range shooters is unfolding. A lack of live training opportunities on moving targets is one of the drawbacks to traditional military sniper schools. One of Dan’s missions is to provide a place where moving targets as well as a changing environment and challenging terrain provide a well rounded training facility for long range shooters of all types. The mountains north of Kettle Falls never fail to disappoint in terrain and weather changes, so all that was left for Dan was the moving targets and a rapidly growing facility where service members, veterans and civilians are able to congregate and train.

 For Dan, getting past the traditional training and instruction methods for long range target shooting is the goal. “There is more than one way to do it,” he says, and he enjoys the challenge of proving out new approaches to training. The vision of Bull Hill Training Ranch as Dan sees it is to add to the training spectrum of long range shooting. “It’s about creating a place where experts can come together to train in real terrain and build a toolbox.” He says, intent on working with the best of the best to discover new ways to achieve success as active duty snipers, LEOs, vets and civilians.

 In addition to a training ground, Dan also hopes that Bull Hill Training Ranch will eventually become a sanctuary for veterans to come and experience the “best kept secret in the Northwest” that is the rugged landscape of along the upper Columbia River. Along with shooting competitions, recreational outlets including horseback riding, hiking, fishing on the river and guided hunts will be part of the outdoor therapy available to vets and their families in the future. Already this vision is becoming a reality as several local veterans from around the area will be coming to participate in the second annual Historical Shoot Out this weekend at Bull Hill Training Ranch, will fully paid sponsorships contributed by local and national businesses and individuals.

 If you are interested in checking out what is going on at the Training Ranch, spectators are welcome at the Freedom Has a Face Historical Shootout from April 20-23rd. The range will be open for all shooters to try out the guns used in the historically based shooting scenarios, including a Barrett 50 cal. sniper rifle that participants can shoot at a real truck for a by-the-round donation, an M-1 Garand, AK-47, multiple AR models and much more, as well as food and drinks available, all for donations toward the Freedom Has a Face foundation, in memory of Tommy MacPherson, a Ranger who served with Dan and Kyle and who was killed in action in 2013. For more info about the Historical Shoot Out or Dan’s project at the Ranch check out their Facebook page Bull Hill Training Ranch, or you can email info@bullhilltrainingranch.com