2019 Testimonials

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•  Please accept my “thank you” for a wonderful event.  The organization was impeccable, skeet stations outstanding (I did not do the pheasant shoot), the chow was terrific, and the hospitality beyond all expectations.  I hope to bring my father next year: he could not make it this year due to health.  He was active in the Marines as an enlisted man for 31 years, served a tour in Korea and 2 in Vietnam, is a recipient of a Silver Star and a Purple Heart, and survived cancer from Agent Orange exposure.  He grew up on a farm and has been a hunter all his life.
  Thanks again, and I hope to see you at times over the next year as I won a skeet membership.
  Gary Beaver
  Colonel, USMCR (ret.) 

• We all had a grand time.  Thanks so much for what you do.
  Maurice Wren
  
• I do not need instructions for a call, but I do wish to thank you all very,very much for the great blessings you all gave us veterans.As a veteran of the Vietnam conflict,this was one of the few times that I have been involved with a bunch of great people thanking us veterans for the part we played in preserving our Freedom,no matter how small our contribution was.I just wish some of the awesome brothers I served with that did not return could experience your hospitality and thanks.Again,I can't thank you all enough.
  Sincerely,
  Joseph F. Russell Jr.
  Former SP/4, U.S. Army 1969-1971 

• Thanks so much for the opportunity to shoot with you guys.  That was an incredible event and the outpouring of support for Veterans was amazing.  I wish I could send a personal "thank you" to each and every person who gave up their Saturday to make that event happen - from the 4H folks who taught me how to clean a pheasant in under 30 seconds, to all the people who cooked all the delicious food and served it so selflessly,  to Wayne and the other guides who kept us out of trouble on the tower shoot.  Hunting is an important skill that many of us just don't make time for and we end up without that tradition to pass on to our kids.  I know I'm speaking for quite a few of us that Enduring Gratitude helped to jump-start that love for hunting and shooting; and I am inspired to continue hunting and pass this skill on to my kids.  For this, I cannot thank you enough.  What an awesome gift.
  God Bless you guys!
  Sincerely,
  Justin Ball 

• Sir or Ma’am,
  Saturday’s Enduring Gratitude event was the best shooting experience I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for hosting this first class celebration for veterans. I’m anxious to come back to participate again as well as give back to the charity for future events. I was fortunate to receive a duck call and sure its operation is pretty straight forward. Time will tell. Thanks again.
  V/r
  John Montgomery, CW3 (Ret)

• Board of Enduring Gratitude-
  Thanks for such a great time all day Saturday …the food the weather the fellowship and the shooting.  It was great fun and everyone had a great time!
  I did not win a Turkey call but did win a gift certificate to Cabela’s – no instructions needed!
  Thanks and best regards, Jim Compton
  
• Best affair I’ve been to in ages.  Many thanks for a great day.   Regards – Alex Nadalini (USMC)
  
• Thank you so much for the great time and all the volunteers where outatanding!
  I appreciate everything,
  Mark Zimmer 

• I just wanted to tell you me and my dad had an awsome time Sat. And to say thank you! I think what you are doing with Enduring Gratitude is wonderful.  And Hooyah!
  
• I will tell you that I had a very good time. I want to Thank You for the hospitality , the honor that you showed me and all the other veterans who were there Saturday. A real Class Act, very much appreciated.
  William B. Gregory a U S Army veteran. 

•  To Everyone Involved With Operation Enduring Gratitude,
  I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for hosting and conducting this year's event. This was my first time at Operation Enduring Gratitude, and I had a blast!
  First and foremost, I'd like to comment on how unusually well organized your event was. From the get-go, I received quick replies to my emails with clear instructions.  When I arrived at the Sporting Club, your professional team lead me right through the process, and everyone had a great attitude while doing it.
  Everything about this event- from the food, the facilities, the volunteers and leaders, to the structure of the day- was TOP shelf. In all honestly, I was half expecting to be released into someone's back 40 with an old gray haired hunting dog. You can imagine my reaction by the end of the day...I do want to give a special thanks to Mr. Keith Isley. He was my group leader for the day, and he was  kind, helpful, and fun to be around. Keith watched us miss about 90% of all the clay targets, but he kept us motivated throughout the day.
  I also wanted to thank Mr. Todd Kennedy. I won the chance to go to his  concealed carry training course. I did get to go, and the training was great.
  Anyhow, I will be leaving the Army and moving home shortly, but I assure you I will make the drive back for this event next year. Rest assured, I will tell EVERY veteran I know about this awesome event and the wonderful people that run it.
  Regards,
  Nathan Rave
  

• Johnny,  et al + all the others involved that I cannot name or have email for,
  Once again, this was a fun and fabulous event for our vets and troops and the hard work that you and all the volunteers and sponsors put in really paid off.  Of course, so much of that was in preparation and behind the scenes, so the attendees don't really have an idea of how much effort and money goes into it, not to mention the love and respect you all have for our patriotic defenders.
  Please pass along my profound thanks to all involved and thank you for allowing me to participate and play a small part in this wonderful event.
  Bless you all,
  Porter Halyburton
  John,
  It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday. I would like to thank you all for the great time. Yesterday was second to none, far exceeded my expectations. The volunteers were extremely helpful and courteous, definitely a great group of folks to spend a saturday with. The establishment was amazing I am forever grateful I was afforded the opportunity to enjoy such a great time with friends and meet you all. I can't say how thankful we all are of you guys for hosting the event but on the way home. We already started planning another trip. I may have to get back in touch with you in regards to that. Again I would just like to say thank you. If you could please pass the word on to the rest of the great folks I would appreciate it. My hats off to you all.
  Thank You,
  Cory Bell
  

• John,
  I can't thank you enough for all the hard work that you and all the volunteers put in to make a great event. You all (and Sam!) were a true blessing to us. It was easy to notice  the heart felt, authentic gratitude that you all have for veterans. I've been to a handful of events put on by various organizations over the past few years and Enduring Gratitude was the best by far!
  James Elliott 
• 
  It is I who should be doing all the thanks.  I just hope I can come back some day and stay longer.  It will be in my thoughts all my days.  Thank you for having me.
  Sonny Boles 

•  Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this outstanding event.
  Regards,
  Ricky Lord
  
• I wanted to thank you for putting on a wonderful event!  I was delighted to see the mix of our younger veterans and the old timers all having a good time.
  Wes Parker
  USCG 1974-1978

• John
  Thank You.
  I truly enjoyed yesterday.  Ya’ll were great, organized and thoughtful.  I wish Ii could express my gratitude to you and your staff for an excellent event. It was fun and I enjoyed all aspects but the most encouraging component was all ya’ll.  The fact that there are great Americans out there that aren't in the news or grabbing headlines but actually care about this country and understand what it takes to provide freedom and the life we all love. I really enjoyed talking with folks with a common core value system and am thankful of your appreciation of our efforts to sustain that, here and abroad.  While we aren't looking for such a display, it’s very well appreciated and encouraging and gives me hope for the future of this great nation.
  Thanks again and HooAH.
  Oscar Davis
  MAJ (Ret) USA

• Thank you so much for putting on this event. It was so well run and I could not tell you how much I appreciate the respect the volunteers showed all of us. I can’t tell you how much respect I have for the volunteers and you club. Thanks is not enough to say for what all of ya’ll did.
  Thank you
  Darrin
  

Thanks, John.  A really fun day.
Bud

• I would like to say thank you, to all of you who made yesterday a very special day for me. I've never been a part of anything like that before. It will be one my most lasting and favorite memories.
  Thank you
  Raymond Lathan
  
•  Thank you again, very much, for the opportunity to participate in this years
  Enduring Gratitude.  The entire event could not have been better.  It's
  comforting to know that organizations genuinely care about the veterans who
  defend this great nation.  My wife and I will look forward to participating
  again or volunteering in some capacity.  I wasn't fortunate enough to win a
  turkey call but would be interested in purchasing one if they're available.
  Thank you again,   CMSgt Jeff Stines

• Just wanted to thank you for allowing me to volunteer this past Saturday to serve our veterans. This is a wonderful program that I was invited to as a guest in 2013. This year gave me the opportunity to give back a small portion. Hopefully, you will allow me to continue volunteering for future events.
  Very Respectfully,
  Allen DuVall
  
  John,
  I just want to thank you and everyone involved in the event on Saturday. It was truely a blessing to be able to participate in such a first class event. My wife and i worked with Lonnie Barber and we had a wonderful time togther he did an excellent job of coaching my wife and showing us both the ropes.. I cannot puit into words how nice the whole day was from the meals to the shooting to Barney Fife... It truley was a soul healing day. My wife and i would like to come back and shoot some clays, We plan to get togther with Lonnie and his wife sometime in the future so maybe we can meet up there. How much is a round of the sporting clays?
  Next Year my wife and i would like to volunteer and help out with the event so please keep us in mind..
  Thanks and God Bless,
  Mike and Dede Bratton
  John,
  Thank you for your kind invitation to this event. Sounds like fun but it is unlikely I will be able to attend.  Just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed working with my group.  I think they had a great time as well and I was both humbled and honored to give back to those who have given so much.  Back next year if you will have me.
  Gary Sturgill