The heat and humidity surrounded us, gnats abounded and the terrain was challenging. No one mentioned any of that, and I realized that no one would - each one of the men who were walking through the field with me were Purple Heart recipients.

The discomfort and difficulty we were experiencing was nothing, nothing, compared to what all of these men had faced down in their pasts. I was proud to be part of a Wounded Warriors in Action event, held earlier this month near Rebersburg, hosted by adjacent hunting clubs, Gravel Spring Lodge and Fox Gap Rod and Gun Club. It was the fourth year for the event."Sandy Deveney is a member of Fox Gap and he proposed the event to our club - we started small with four warriors," said Fox Gap president Chip Brown. "John and Bill Cain from Gravel Spring came on board and offered housing and meals, which allowed us to expand."The Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation Inc. (WWIA) serves our Nation's combat wounded Purple Heart recipients by providing world-class outdoor sporting activities as a means to recognize and honor their sacrifice, encourage independence and connections with communities, and promote healing and wellness through camaraderie and a shared passion for the outdoors.The nine members of WWIA had started their weekend with some trap shooting on Friday, and had a special guest for Friday's dinner - Josh Hull, former Penn State and St. Louis Rams linebacker. Saturday morning, Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson made a Capitol flag presentation to each attendee. They hailed from New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Maryland.Thompson talked about the history of the Purple Heart award, which began as a "Badge of Military Merit" in 1782. The original badge was a purple cloth heart with a silver braided edge - Thompson said that some historians believe the cloth came from a purple blanket Washington had.Only three people are known to have been given the award during the Revolutionary War. In 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth, the concept was revived by the U.S. War Department and the name changed to the Purple Heart. Bearing an image of Washington, it is awarded to troops injured by the enemy."This event is designed to say Thank You to our heroes in a way only sportsmen can," said WWIA founder John McDaniel. "We will not measure the success of this event by the game we harvest, but rather by the quality of the people who surround us."Two dogs, my German shorthaired pointer and Rick Dailey's Brittany, coursed the field in a cooperative manner. The line of warriors moved forward through the thick switchgrass of the Fox Gap fields. Dailey, who owns Mahogany Ridge Game Farm, had delivered the birds for the event. Soon, a number of birds had been pointed, shot and retrieved, much to the delight of the participants.I was proud of my dog, and even prouder to be able to help in such a small way in the event. I'd set my alarm for 3 a.m. and made a two-hour drive - it was all well worth it to watch the broad grins break across those faces who had been wounded during service to the country. They cheered each other's shots and their fun was infectious, as the dogs persevered through the heat to deliver the birds back to them."The weekend was awesome and it seems like it gets better every year - it was non-stop food, fun, friendships and activities," said Deveney, who chairs the event. "From the trap shoot Friday, bird hunts Saturday, and fishing on Sunday, there was no down time. Many local merchants donated products or gave heavy discounts to support the event."Wounded Warriorsin ActionEstablished in 2007, the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation (WWIA) is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Apollo Beach Florida. The WWIA is dedicated to serving our nation's combat wounded, Purple Heart recipients, by providing world-class outdoor sporting activities.The Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation Inc. (WWIA) serves our Nation's combat wounded Purple Heart recipients by providing world-class outdoor sporting activities as a means to recognize and honor their sacrifice, encourage independence and connections with communities, and promote healing and wellness through camaraderie and a shared passion for the outdoors. For more information, go to

www.wwiaf.com or call 561-361-3500. If you'd like to donate for next year's event, specify that your donation is intended for the 2017 Central Pennsylvania Cast & Blast.