The VA could learn a thing or two from TD's "Outdoor Kitchen". Before any of you start thinking the vets sleep outside, let me tell you the outdoor kitchen is a closed in room with a head (toilet for you land types), full kitchen, fridge, bar, old boxes of shotgun shells, a big round table and...TD and I don't mess around when it comes to trapping. We are up early go full bore and when the work is done at night crash out. So when the work is done we shower, eat and crash. It is amazing to walk up at night and hear the boys up laughing, crying and BSing all times of the night. Last year the first night I was thinking these guys are going to be hard to get up in the morning. Wrong! They get up fired up as they have cleansed the demons and have bonded. You fill them up with coffee and a biscuit and BOOM! They are off and running, which pushes TD and I more. Once they catch on you simply stop, they start looking and go to work, they start to get that longline trapper drive. Last year TD made the mistake of showing them how to make cable restraints (snares). After the work was done they spent most of the night in the shop making snares, using the sand box to practice bedding coil springs, practice setting bodygrips, tuning up traps you guys sent, BSing until the God knows when. The next morning they were fired up again! Even the ones with mobility injuries slop around in the mud. If the VA would get an Outdoor Kitchen and put two crazy trappers in charge of it they would never have to pump drugs into our boys to make them "normal". You can be yourself and you find out that you are actually normal.
TD and his wife are the two most amazing, and loving people you will ever meet. They open their house to the vets and I mean actually open it. They really show interest in each one, really caring about them. Everyone that the vet meets on this event really appreiciates what they have done. The first one I went on it was humbling, but no one goes over the top. No one ask the stupid questions like "Have many people you kill?" or "How did you get wounded?" .
Trust me everyting that is sent for the vets goes to the vets and more. I can't even imagine what TD and his wife spend on this event, as I know last year I spent a small fortune out of my pocket last year. Heck, TD and his wife does a lot more than just this trapping event.
Gunny
Last edited by Trappeur Gunny; 01/13/25 07:36 AM.
