Special experience: CEO students meet Wounded Warriors
Another special experience happened for four CEO students and an alumnus last week – an opportunity to meet 16 Wounded Warriors, their hunting guides and other people involved in the annual waterfowl hunt at Grassy Lake Hunting Club at Ware.
Encouraged by the phrase, “Successful People Give Back,” the class of 2021 voted to give $500 of their class business profit to the Davie School Inn in Anna, which hosts the group for overnight and provides breakfast, and $500 to Collin Cain, who provides the hunting experience.
The Wounded Warriors waterfowl hunt originated 12 years ago after Collin Cain, the owner of Grassy Lake Hunting Club, observed many injured soldiers who needed an outreach in order to heal both physically and spiritually. The result was the annual duck hunt for Wounded Warriors.
Cain suggested that the students hold the money until the actual hunt and that those available should join in the noon meal and meet some of the people they are helping. January 3, 2022, was that day.
CEO alumnus Will Halter, ROTC while attending John A. Logan College in Carterville, accompanied by current students Madi Hawk, Kyle Hall, Camden Hodges, Luke Lasley and Hunter Boyd, enjoyed a meal provided by SIEC featuring ribs by Ray Crane and squirrel dumplings and duck dressing by Anita and Mike Stone.
The students mixed in with the veterans and heard some interesting stories.
Hunter Boyd and Luke Lasley shared that they were sitting by a man who had served seven tours in Afghanistan, Egypt and Iraq and had worked at the Pentagon.
They later learned that it was Retired Rick Rife, deputy commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division of the Army (Air Assault).
Following the meal and before the men returned to the duck hunt, Gary Adams, former test pilot, who after his military assignment now works as a Department of Defense, DOD, civilian responsible for the execution of U.S. Army Aviation maintenance with 1,600 DOD employees and contractors, called the group to order.
At that time, Gary introduced the CEO students to the group.
Will led the group so that each student had a turn to tell a little about the program.
Then Will presented a check to Collin Cain, who, in turn, presented it to Tim Coop, retired from Fort Campbell, now Wounded Warrior alumni manager and director of the Wounded Warrior Project for all of the southeast United States.
Gary Adams then surprised the students with a flag from the 101st Airborne Division, The Screaming Eagles.
In class that morning, the students had been reminded of the gratitude the program owes to Collin Cain.
In order to even start the program in 2015, the group trying to bring CEO to Union County, led by Alan Eddington of the Union County Economic Development Corporation, had to raise $30,000 for training and materials.
After receiving many donations of $500 to $2,000 from several local businesses, the organizers were still $10,000 short.
His late father, Gerald Cain, and Collin gave that final $10,000, and Collin has continued to be a yearly investor and provides the home base to start each year. Successful people give back.
(Editor’s note: This article and accompanying photograph were shared by the Union County CEO program.)