More than 50 hunters, guides, cooks and other volunteers turned out for the sixth annual Wounded Warrior Retreat (WWR) quail hunt at Lamar Smith’s farm near Collins, Georgia, on Saturday morning, February 3, 2024. In comparison to previous hunts when weather was a negative factor, it was a near perfect day that began with temperatures hovering around 44 degrees at daylight with occasional variable light winds and a near cloudless sky.
The event began the Friday night before the hunt when Brock Scott, Joe Boyett and Wayne Campbell fried fish for about 20 warriors, guides and volunteers at WWR First Vice-President Richard Driggers’ cookhouse near Claxton.
Saturday morning, members of VFW 7764 in Reidsville arrived early to put 26 racks of ribs on Gene Williams’ grill to feed what was predicted to be about 50 hunters, guides, and volun-teers. VFW members Gene Williams, Trace Simmons, Gina Hall, Earl Boyett, Joe Boyett, and Wayne Campbell fired up Gene’s grill about 5:15 and had ribs on by 5:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Richard Driggers was cooking two big cast iron pots of his renowned Mountain Man’s Break-fast while his brother Johnny made a big pot of sausage in white gravy.
The breakfast was ready and served around 8:15 a.m. Then hunters and guides gathered for the safety meeting by Lamar Smith about 8:45. Shortly thereafter the dogs, guides and hunt-ers set out for the woods. By 9 a.m., shotgun reports were heard regularly in a wide arc north and west of the farmhouse. Hunters and guides began to filter back in a little after 11 a.m., and reports were positive about dog performance and success of shooters. As should be ex-pected, there were stories about fantastic shots and disgusting misses. Guide Terry Carter of Savannah was happy with his dog Cal and the weather.
“Beautiful morning; lots of fun,” he said.
Just before noon, Reverend Matt Brady, of Eastside Baptist Church in Claxton, led a short worship service. Then everyone lined up for a meal of smoked ribs with side dishes provided by Southern Flair of Reidsville. Some volunteer servers were absent due to COVID, so Tattnall County Sheriff Kyle Sapp stepped up to help serve a meal fit for royalty.
Jackie Trim, Chairman of the Tattnall County Commissioners, and a Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam, said he had a really enjoyable day. His son, Clay, served as guide for Jackie and Richard Driggers.
“Clay’s Dog, Bella, did really good, and I shot okay,” Jackie said.
Richard agreed. “If a bird got up in front of Jackie he went into the bag,” he said. “And Jackie is fun to hunt with.”
John Wingate of Reidsville is an Army Vietnam Veteran who was severely wounded in a night firefight in 1967. He spent 13 months in Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland and un-derwent more than two dozen surgical operations to correct some of the damage. He was an overachieving football player at Reidsville High School in 1964-65, and quail hunting was part of his life prior to his war injuries. He was unable to hunt Saturday, but he rode in the mule with Jackie and Richard. John would tell anyone a morning with Jackie Trim is always a blessing.
Jackie and John are the epitome of the wounded warriors that Wounded Warrior Retreat seek out and serve. Jackie served as a Marine Corps tunnel rat in 1967-68 where he was wounded twice in combat. Skin damage from the equatorial sun was severe and in recent years he has battled severe melanoma which left him in a much-weakened state for about three years. He is cancer free now and battling back.
Another high point of the day included the arrival of Marine Vietnam Veteran Bruce Oli-ver. Bruce served nearly three tours in Vietnam and was serving when his younger brother, Dennis, who was in Marine Recon, was killed in 1969. Bruce also served as a First Sergeant for the Georgia Army National Guard in Iraq in 2005-06. He had a debilitating stroke about 10 years ago, and he resides at the Dublin Carl Vinson Veteran’s Hospital. His wife, Rita, had promised to get him to the event and made the arrangements with the hospital. VFW Post 7764 members WWR volunteers welcomed Bruce like a rock star. This writer missed the event due to a short stay in the Statesboro hospital but received a photo text from 7764 Quartermaster Ronnie Thomas proclaiming, “Bruce is here!”
All of the above illuminates the theme of Wounded Warrior Retreat. Efforts are made to get Wounded Warriors together on a regular basis, and the purpose is at least fourfold. Such gatherings take on a class reunion atmosphere, and it shows that their service to their coun-try is appreciated, and they are not forgotten. Finally, most of these warriors enjoyed the outdoors and fishing/ hunting prior to their injuries, and these events allow them to do that again.
It was a good day. WWR President Terry Reynolds hunted with Terry Carter and two warri-ors. He was described as “grinning like a goat grazing in a briar patch.”
Lamar Smith felt like it was the best quail hunt yet. “Beautiful day, great food, great people,” he said. “I think everyone had a really good time.”
Wounded Warrior Retreat is a faith-based organization designed to serve military wounded warriors by getting them outdoors while simultaneously providing faith-based counseling.
For more information call Terry Reynolds at 478-494-3758, Richard Driggers at 912-290-1108 or the Wounded Warrior Retreat information on Facebook.
