Wounded vets enjoy chance to bond

Wounded vets enjoy chance to bond
By Ellen Ciurczak - Hattiesburg (Miss.) American
Posted : Sunday Dec 19, 2010 18:22:57 EST
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The smell of bacon and a draft of warm air greets all who walk in the door of Troy and Beverly Davis’ cabin, located a few miles outside of Hot Coffee.

Inside on an early Sunday morning, nine former military service members sit in the living room and at the breakfast table, relaxed and talking. All have been wounded in the line of duty, and all have spent the past weekend on a hunting trip sponsored by the Smith County Wounded Warrior Project.

The Davises have donated their cabin to the project, which provides programs for severely injured service members from around the South.

But hunting for big game hasn’t been the highlight of this weekend.

“They get together and they talk. They open up to each other,” said John Ellis of Ellis Outdoor Events, which helped coordinate this trip and others, all of which are free of charge. “They know what they’ve been through and they don’t judge each other.”

The service members are all veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“They worry about what people will ask them,” said John’s wife, Kim Ellis, who also helps to coordinate the trips. She cautions against probing too deeply about their injuries.

“The No. 1 question they get asked is ‘Have you killed someone?’ ” she said.

Damian Orslene, 46, a former airman, has a ready smile. He sits in a chair, with a cane beside him. He says he was blown up in Kirkuk, Iraq.

“I’ve been in and out of hospitals for three years,” he said. “What I miss most is being around like-minded people. When you walk in that door, you are surrounded by people that care.”
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Wounded vets enjoy chance to bond