Wounded vets coming for pheasant hunt next weekend

    The pain of losing a son or daughter to war never really goes away.
    So funneling that pain into something good to honor the memory of his son is what Steve Hogan of Aurora did with the creation of the Hunter HD Hogan Foundation.
    Next week, the foundation will be bringing 13 wounded veterans to Chase County Dec. 2-5  to pheasant hunt.
    Hogan lost his 21-year-old Marine son, Hunter, on June 23, 2012 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
    Hunter was on his last mission, just two weeks away from finishing his tour and returning home.
    Since then, the elder Hogan has sought to help wounded vets deal with their injuries, whether it’s physical and/or mental.
    Hogan said the hunts he conducts for these wounded vets serves as a way to remind them that people honor their service and sacrifices. It also offers an experience some have never had the chance to enjoy.
    He said it’s a way to get these vets off the couch and “touch these guys’ lives.”
    The epidemic of suicide among war vets has taken too many of the friends Hogan has made along the way since his son’s death. Statistics indicate 22 veterans take their own life every day.
    “I’m sick of getting those calls… did you hear about… ?” he said.
    Through the efforts of the foundation to share a variety of experiences with wounded vets, Hogan wants to remind them their lives still have value and purpose.
Why Chase County?
    Hogan’s family hails from the Bradshaw-York area of Nebraska, the same area that cousin Roger Moline moved away from to come to Chase County to farm.
    At a recent family event, cousins Hogan and Brad Moline of Imperial were talking about the possibility of bringing vets to Imperial to hunt on Roger’s land.
    One thing led to another and a date was set. He said the vets will be accompanied by a dozen guides, all with outstanding hunting dogs.  
    One thing they are looking for is more land with good pheasant habitat.
    Overall pheasant population appears to be down here this year. So if landowners have any “honey spots” they want to share to improve the possibility of hunting success, Hogan said he’s all ears.
    Vets and guides will arrive for a welcome dinner Thursday, Dec. 2 with hunting planned Friday and Saturday.   
    He said it’s not all just about shooting pheasants. He said they have plenty of other activities and experiences lined up for the afternoons and evenings.
    Hogan said the unsolicited generosity here to help offset expenses has been fabulous.
Marines over rodeo
    Much like the path his dad followed, Hunter chose to serve his country as a Marine before pursuing his dream of competing on the professional rodeo circuit.
    Hunter started riding bulls at an early age and experienced a lot of success, not only with bullriding but saddle bronc and bareback riding, as well.
    By the time he was done with high school rodeo, Hunter had full-ride scholarships to several colleges who wanted him on their rodeo teams.
    When it came time to make a decision, Hogan said his son told him he wanted to serve his country first and had already joined the Marines.  
    The Hogan family has military war service in their background all the way back to the revolutionary war.
    Hogan said his son believed it wasn’t right to go to college and rodeo while other guys were fighting in Iraq and Afghan-
itstan.
Foundation’s work
    Hunter’s middle name was Dillon and he was often called HD, hence the name of the foundation—Hunter HD Hogan Foundation.
    The work of the foundation is not limited to just helping wounded vets.  
    The foundation also offers scholarships to youths joining their college rodeo teams. Since its inception, Hogan said they’ve awarded more $350,000 in scholarships.
    One of the fundraising efforts Hogan undertakes each year is to have a custom gun made in Hunter’s honor.
    The guns are sold throughout the year and one is given away through a raffle.
    The stock of the guns bear the image of his fallen son and foundation logo.
    For people wanting to know more about how they can assist the hunt or foundation, go to the foundation website at www.circlehdrodeo.com. Hogan can also be reached at 402-641-3520 or his email
beabullfighter@hotmail.com.
    To learn more about Lance Corporal Hunter H.D. Hogan, see the videos located at  www.
circlehdrodeo.org/abouthd .