SHOT show/ Warrior Appreciation Night

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10 years 11 months ago #33799 by txlongshotb4
SHOT show/ Warrior Appreciation Night was created by txlongshotb4
Hello everyone!

This past week has been a very blessed one for me. I was given the opportunity to fly to Las Vegas and attend the SHOT show, which was an overwhelming experience in itself...I think I saw every single make model and style of firearm known to man, and I made some friends and business contacts out there that I would have otherwise never made.

But, the part I want to talk about most was something of a different nature. I had the fortune to get invited to the Warrior Appreciation Night Charity dinner. This is a private event held once a year during SHOT.

I was absolutely humbled to be in the presence of some of the GREATEST warriors that ever lived, such as Richard Marcinko, founder of SEAL team six, Gary O'Neil, Army Ranger hall of famer,/former MACSOG LRRP in Vietnam,( I got to go out and PARTY with that guy!)Al Mampre, former 101st Airborne in WWII, who was one of the men of E Compay, 506th Airborne, as portrayed in Band of Brothers. There were many other great heroes in attendance, like SEAL Mike Thornton, Tommy Norris, and Dakota Meyer, who are all Medal of Honor recipients.

As this was a charity diner, there was an action held to benefit various veteran's charity groups. Several of the gun and knife manufacturers from around our country donated some of the nicest weapons I've ever seen to the cause, which were auctioned off...some fetching over 20 thousand dollars-FAR more than their worth-for some great causes. All said and done, that auction collected over 105 thousand dollars to help fallen warriors and their families-it was incredible.

And just when I though 'd been humbled to my core, a woman named Debbie Lee got up and took the stage. Debbie is the mother of Marc Allen Lee, who was the first SEAL to be killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom in August of 2006. Debbie gave the most powerful speech about the cost of freedom and what we owe to the men that have paid it for us that I've ever heard, and apparently I wasn't alone in that opinion- because in room full of SEALs, Rangers, Green Berets, Medal of Honor recipients, and other men of the type that prefer a diet of poisonous snakes and lumber, we all stood side by side with tears rolling down our faces as we applauded her with a standing ovation as she left the stage to return to her seat.

It was a wonderful experience...Hands down the single most powerful tribute to the American hero I have ever witnessed, and it was a true blessing from God to have had such an opportunity. I have two regrets about it...One, is that it doesn't happen every single day, because it should...and two...that every single man woman and child in this nation couldn't have been there.
The following user(s) said Thank You: jtallen83, faawrenchbndr

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10 years 11 months ago #33801 by faawrenchbndr
Replied by faawrenchbndr on topic SHOT show/ Warrior Appreciation Night
I am generally not an emotional guy. I must admit, as I read the above, I had multiple cold chills, and must have gotten some dust in one eye. I have read about Debbie Lee,......an amazing woman. :usa:

Those warriors that have come and gone, those that will never receive the recognition they deserve, i thank them one and all. :usa:

Thank you for that post,......I had thought of attending this year, simply did not.

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