Youth enjoy a day of fun at Military Field Day

By Amber Avalona
Paraglide

April 28, 2011

	Photos by Amber Avalona/Paraglide Patriot Hunts hosted a fun day of four wheeling, archery, BB guns, fishing and a 100-foot zip line for military Families, April 17. Ken and Pam Barnard welcomed around 75 people to their 125-acre farm in Stedman, N.C., including Gold Star, Special Forces and wounded warrior Family members.

When fun is on the agenda, military kids will answer the call. One day after a tornado affected many Fort Bragg Families, the resilient and lively youngsters participated in Gold Star and Military Youth Field Day, an event that was pre-planned and hosted by Patriot Hunts.

Around 75 Gold Star and military kids, and their moms and dads, enjoyed an afternoon of food, four wheeling, archery, BB-guns, pond fishing and a 100-foot zip line. Just a short drive from Fayetteville, the farm near Stedman, N.C., is owned by Ken and Pam Barnard, outdoor enthusiasts and founders of Patriot Hunts.

After an April 16 tornado affected the area, Barnard debated whether to proceed with the event. “Should I wait because we’re out here having some fun? But the bottom line is, I can’t live through their tragedy and I can’t live through their joy — all I can do is continue on my mission, and that is to provide for the wounded warriors and the Gold Star Families,” said Barnard.

It’s a mission that endears Patriot Hunts to the Fort Bragg community, thanks to their focus on connecting Soldiers with fun, outdoor activities. Barnard receives e-mails and phone calls from people every week — offering help, suggesting events and sharing their stories.

Survivor Outreach Services, the Gold Star Families, Family readiness groups and the Fort Bragg Officer Spouses’ Association volunteered to make the Gold Star and Military Youth Field Day a success for the children of our country’s heroes.

Now in its fifth year, Patriot Hunts began as a simple suggestion. As Barnard watched a change of command ceremony for his son-in-law’s 3rd Special Forces Group, he noticed a number of amputees and otherwise injured Soldiers. Barnard wanted to honor the military heroes and Families, so he proposed a dove hunt at their 125-acre farm. Fifty people showed that first year. The second year, that number rose to 75 and by last year word had got around and even Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C. were in for a piece of the action.

“There’s a need for this type of therapy … just like physical therapy, this is another part of it here,” said Barnard, who hosts more events each year. Everything from military, wounded warrior pheasant shoots to an Army Girls Gone Hog Wild hog hunt.

For an Army wife like Rachel Pierre, it’s important to immerse the Family in active, outdoor events. She read about Gold Star and Military Youth Field Day in an FRG e-mail, and thought it would be a great bonding experience.

“It’s fabulous, the (kids) love it,” said Pierre who brought her daughters, Yanija and Tava, to the Barnard farm. After zipping through the air and squealing through a muddy four-wheel ride, the girls planned to fish for the very first time.

The day was a much-needed distraction from the tornado and its aftermath, said Pierre, who spent hours in a grocery store line (after the disaster) to purchase supplies. So while their home was still without power, the Pierre Family made the best of an unexpected situation — they enjoyed a day in the sun, and the natural thrill it provides.

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