Wyoming veteran gives other disabled veterans outdoor hunting experiences

 Travis Marshall, a 20-plus year U.S. Army Veteran, is the president of the Wyoming Chapter of Combat Warriors, Inc. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing outdoor hunting experiences for disabled combat veterans. He is also a lifelong Wyoming resident. Being able to give back to the veteran community is incredibility meaningful. 

 Marshall explained, “Our mission is relatively simple. We bring veterans to Wyoming and provide them with opportunities to hunt big game, including elk and antelope, as well as other hunting opportunities such as turkey.

“But the organization is about much more than harvesting an animal. We provide an opportunity for veterans to get away from the stresses of everyday life, spend time outdoors, and reconnect with other veterans who understand the experiences they’ve been through.” 

He continued that the camaraderie is what makes these hunts so special. “There is something about bringing veterans together around a campfire, sharing stories, laughing and giving each other a hard time that is incredibly therapeutic.” 

Many veterans miss the sense of belonging like they do when they are serving. That is especially hard on those that struggled with transitioning back into civilian life. 

Marshall knows this firsthand.  Approximately 17 of his years in the Army was in the Special Forces as a Green Beret. “During my career, I completed five combat deployments, three to Afghanistan and two to Iraq. Like many career combat veterans, my military service came with its share of physical and psychological injuries. I’m a 100% permanently and totally disabled veteran, with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries being among the lasting effects of my service.” 

While he doesn’t necessarily consider his military career to be what defines him today, the career did shape the person he is now. Those experiences, relationships, hardships and lessons learned over the nearly 21 years will remain with him the rest of his life. 

One of Marshall’s most meaningful experiences with Combat Warriors happened this September. He was on an antelope hunt with a disabled combat veteran. 

“After returning home from a combat deployment nearly 30 years ago, he decided to go hunting, only to have someone shoot at him. The experience was traumatic enough that he never hunted again.

“When he came to Wyoming, we provided a one-on-one hunt during the disabled veteran season extension, allowing him to hunt before the regular season opened, without the crowds. His son even joined us for the experience.

“On the evening of our first day, we were walking back to the truck when we stopped to watch the sunset over the Wyoming desert. He turned to me and thanked me, explaining that he’d never thought he’d hunt again and that we’d given him a peaceful environment where he finally felt comfortable returning to something he’d lost decades earlier. We shared an emotional embrace, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.” 

This experience is a perfect illustration of why the organization does what they do. “It’s not always about harvesting an animal. Sometimes it’s about helping a fellow veteran reclaim a piece of himself that he thought was lost forever.” 

The journey with other veterans has helped him in his own transition journey. I think one of the biggest challenges many career military veterans face after retirement is finding a new sense of purpose. For more than two decades, my life revolved around being part of something bigger than myself. There was always a mission, always a responsibility, and always people depending on one another. When that chapter of your life ends, finding something that provides a similar sense of fulfillment isn’t necessarily easy.” 

It helps fill some of the void. “It allows me to continue serving in a different capacity. I’m no longer wearing the uniform, but I can still contribute to the lives of the men and women who did. There’s also something therapeutic about helping others who have experienced many of the same struggles.

“I certainly don’t have everything figured out, and I don’t pretend to. Like many veterans, I still have my own challenges. But being able to take those experiences and use them to help somebody else gives them a different kind of meaning. I think sometimes we underestimate how much helping another person can help us in return.

“Perhaps one of the greatest things this organization has given me is the realization that my service to others didn’t have to end when my military career did.”