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thedrifter
10-31-08, 08:59 AM
Marines treated to South Georgia deer hunt

Posted: Oct 30, 2008 03:10 PM

Updated: Oct 30, 2008 04:51 PM

By Jim Wallace

October 30, 2008

TERRELL COUNTY, GA (WALB) - A Terrell County plantation owner says thank you to Marines by taking them deer hunting. These Iraq and middle east war veterans got a real thrill as they were honored.

For 18 year Marine Veteran Gunnery Sgt. Dave Mason, this was the first time he's hunted deer.

Mason said "It's kind of strange at first, you kind of feel that adrenaline rush."

Gunnery Sgt. Calvin Foster, an experienced hunter, was in the deer stand with Mason, as the Iraq veteran received his first sportsman's thrill.

Foster said "He spotted movement and he started beating on my leg and pointing and grabbing for the rifle. I said calm down, hold up, let them do their thing."

Mason fired one shot and brought down his first doe.

Gunnery Sgt. Bill Virts is a long time hunter who missed last deer season while deployed. "I left for Kuwait in October of last year, and did not get back till May, so I missed gun season."

But Virts did not miss it this year, killing his first doe. Saying the hunt was a great thrill for him and his fellow Marines.

Virts said "Spend some time out of the workplace and kind of let our hair down a little bit. Kick back, sit around the campfire, and tell some war stories."

Spring Hill Plantation owner Vic Sullivan hosted the ten Albany Marines.

Sullivan said "The chance to include them in things that are special to me and of course a lot of others around the area, I think is great."

Sullivan said other South Georgians should think of ways they could say thank you to troops, and honor them for their service.

Ellie

thedrifter
10-31-08, 09:01 AM
IRAQ: Gunnery sergeant deploys to Congress



When a bullet from an insurgent sniper in Ramadi cost Marine Gunnery Sgt. William "Spanky" Gibson his left leg in 2006, it did not change his desire to stay at the front.

And so, less than two years after the incident, Gibson redeployed to Fallouja, the first above-the-knee amputee to return for duty in Iraq.

In March, on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, President Bush paid tribute to Gibson, saying that with Americans like him serving in Iraq, the enemy didn't have a chance.

Soon Gibson's nine-month deployment will be over and he'll return to Camp Pendleton. His newest assignment will be yet another first.

He's among three enlisted Marines who will go to Washington to work with individual members of Congress, a billet usually reserved for officers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates thought it was time to let Congress see noncommissioned officers at work.

Gibson, 37, a 19-year veteran, was a natural. "He's a driven Marine and he's earned his selection," said Sgt. Maj. Neil O'Connell.

Among other things, Gibson is uniquely qualified to advise lawmakers on a key issue facing Congress and the nation, O'Connell noted: the treatment and rehabilitation of the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.

— Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Gunnery Sgt. William Gibson, in Fallouja, March 2008. Credit: Tony Perry/Los Angeles Times

Ellie