HAVA Hosts Recovering Quadriplegic on Barbary Sheep Hunt
OutdoorHub 02.28.12
Honored American Veterans Afield [HAVA] hosted retired Army Corporal Nick Orchowski, his wife and 2 children on a once-in-a-lifetime 5-day Barbary Sheep hunt on the Felix Canyon Ranch in Flying H, New Mexico. Nick is a severely disabled Iraq war veteran who has recovered partial use of his legs and left arm after an explosion near Baghdad in 2004 threw him almost 60 yards and damaged his cervical spine and right side. Now ambulatory after many months in a wheelchair, he relished stalking sheep over miles of shale and cactus covered mountains at 5,500 feet in below freezing temperatures, with only an occasional assist from a nearby Tomcar all-terrain vehicle.
“It was truly inspirational to walk beside this American hero and his family for 5 days of hunting and watch his joy at returning to the outdoor life that he loved before his deployment,” said HAVA Outreach Manager Heath Gunns. “Stalking an animal was a major challenge for Nick in this rough terrain, but there was nary a complaint and always an infectious enthusiasm as he struggled over that next ridge.”
“This was the first hunting vacation that we have had as a family since Nick got hurt,” said wife Jamie. “What a blast to see him relish the challenge, and despite not getting the ram that he had dreamed of, to have him know that he will be ready for his next hunting adventure – you could see the joy all over his face. HAVA has done for Nick what all of the doctors could never do for him – give him back his confidence.”
For more information about HAVA, please visit www.honoredveterans.org.
