I met a hero today.
We just met Aaron Owen, a soldier who was injured in the war and was the recipient of the Alaska Safari Club International (SCI) Essay Contest Winner this year (February 2008) and received a bison hunt off our game ranch. Senator Stevens was there along with other dignitaries to present this award to Owen.
Owen came today and shot his 2.5 year old bison. This will fill his freezer for his wife and four children. He now lives in North Pole. Due to his injuries Owen was forced to retire after 18 years of service. Owen is a disabled vet and a proud American. His story follows.
For more information about the SCI event, log on to the site below:
http://www.aksafariclub.org/2008/07/24/2008-fundraiser-a-success/
Excerpts from Owen's Story:
My name is Aaron Owen, I am a 34 year old happily married man of 13 years to my beautiful wife, Tara. Together we have four awesome children, two boys and two girls, whom all love to hunt and fish. We live in a cozy cabin in North Pole, with our two labs, Duke and Daisy.
I was raised all around the Wyoming and Montana area with hunting and fishing as a big part of my life. I carry on the tradition in my family taking all my children on hunting and fishing trips, starting from when they first learn to walk. I teach them safety, to properly care for what we harvest, never to kill any animal that we don't intend to eat, and never take more than we can use.
Having hunting in my life always gave me a better alternative to trouble and a way to keep me away from drugs, as well as giving me knowledge and respect for our natural resources. So, it is equally important to me to have hunting in our life as an enjoyable past time, great source of nourishment and most of all, a tool to stay connected to my children.
A majority of my life was spent being raised by my grandparents and this inspired me to become a great man like my grandfather, Russell Webb. He was a tanker in the Battle of the Bulge who was seriously injured. It was his service to this country and his Purple Heart that inspired me to become a soldier. I am honored to have been given the chance to strive to match some of their (soldiers from that era) greatness.
I grew up living and working in a small farm community of Basin, Wyoming where the remainder of our families live today.
I enlisted in the Army in November of 1994 and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to begin my training as a 12B, Combat Engineer. The title is a little misleading, as an Engineer I didn't build anything, it was my job to blow them up. I deployed on many peace-keeping missions but never truly saw combat until we declared war on terrorism after the events of September 11, 2001. I was a sergeant of second squad, second platoon, in the 1st Armored Division in Glessen, Germany, a team leader ready to lead my men into combat. I was given a group of misfits that would turn out to become one of the best fighting squads in the Division, the "Dirty Deuce". In my squad, I had a mix of men who were fighting for a country of which half were not citizens of, but wanted to be. My team leader, a great friend, was Nicaraguan, our driver from India, two of our dismounts were from Africa and my gunner was from Puerto Rico. We moved through the invasion of Iraq and our baptism by fire into the rebuilding process with no losses to my Squad. Everyday for that first year we cleared the routes of IED's, land mines and the occasional ambush. All of us from the "Dirty Deuce" squad made it home, with Purple Hearts from physical wounds that would heal.
Upon the return to Germany to reunite with my family, I took my next assignment to Fort Wainwright, Alaska. It had always been a dream of mine to live, hunt and fish the great state of Alaska. I was assigned to the 562nd Engineer company of the 172nd Stryker BDE. I had six months to enjoy my family, train a new squad and go to a few schools that I had missed from the last deployment. My family did as much as we could to enjoy the wild of Alaska in a short amount of time and we had a great time!
August 2005, we left Fort Wainwright for Mosul, Iraq. My mission was much the same as it had been before, sweeping the routes and removing IED's and land mines before they could be used to kill our soldiers. On November 7, 2005 nearly at the end of my route clearance for the day, my STRYKER was attached with a suicide car bomber. A large Chevy van filled with explosives and gasoline was detonated while crashing into the side of my vehicle. The blast threw my STRYKER off a 40' overpass and down into a canal. Of the eight men in the vehicle, three of us were seriously injured, one was in a coma and the rest all received minor injuries. Thus leading to my 2nd Purple Heart and what would be the end of my Military career.
Over all, the most important thing is that I'm still alive and have been given the opportunity to enjoy my wife and 4 children. I still have the chance to go hunting, fishing and enjoy the great outdoors of Alaska. by SFC (Ret) Aaron Owen
As we begin our festivities for Thanksgiving, remember our soldiers in the field and away from their homes and families. Remember those many soldiers who will never come home again to celebrate the holidays with their family and friends. Remember those families who miss them and whose hearts ache for their loved ones.
With all of this may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving from the Hollembaek's and the Alaska Interior Game Ranch.
Ruby Hollembaek
PO Box 502
Delta Junction, Alaska
99737
business website: www.bisonandelk.com
