Disabled veterans hunt a new experience for disabled vet

Media contacts: Beau Liddell, DNR area wildlife manager, Little Falls, (320) 616-2468, ext. 222; Dennis Erie, St. Cloud VA Hospital, (320) 255-6480, ext. 6192; Rich Sprouse, public information officer, DNR Division of Enforcement, Camp Ripley, Little Falls, 1-800-366-8917, ext. 2511.

Walter Habash said he gave up hunting more than 50 years ago after seeing combat during the Korean War. But the 74-year-old Lino Lakes resident, now a patient at the St. Cloud VA Hospital, gave it another try during the 15thannual Disabled Veterans of America deer hunt Oct. 4-5 at Camp Ripley.

"Time spent outdoors has a therapeutic value," said DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam, who supports the hunts and who has personally given his time to assist veterans on turkey hunts.

"This was my first deer hunt ever," Habash said from his wheelchair in a deer blind hid in the recesses of Minnesota's 53,000-acre National Guard training facility. "I looked at it as a new experience and I wanted to try it. It's never too late in life to try new things."

Habash was among 47 disabled veterans to participate in the event. Nine deer were harvested. Because more hunters apply for the hunt than can be accommodated, a lottery is held each summer. A non-hunting partner assists with transportation to the hunting stand and remains with the hunter all day.

Vietnam veteran Ken Holthaus of Melrose is a retired airline pilot who flew the Navy's AV-4 Sky Hawk, "the workhorse of the attack fleet," from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea in 1966. Holthaus gently guided Habash's wheelchair into a specially designed deer blind and helped him position his sporting arm as both men enjoyed the brilliant sky and smells of fall. Holthaus considers it an honor to assist his "brother."

"I've been doing this for about 10 years because I'm a veteran and an outdoorsman," Holthaus said. "This event goes hand in hand with veterans helping other veterans."

About 100 volunteers from groups including The Telephone Pioneers, who erect the camouflage-draped deer blinds each year, as well as from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and their auxiliaries, Veterans Administration, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Department of Military Affairs support the event.