GSO 2018 Season Underway!!

Gold Star Outfitters, Inc is looking forward to a thankfully packed summer spent with our beloved veteran community and Gold Star families. After a long, cold winter and late spring, our canoes are home from storage and we are hard at work servicing equipment in preparation for the arrival of our guests this summer.

We have committed to twelve weeks of service to our partners at the Travis Mills Foundation Veteran Retreat as Program Leaders for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. We love pairing our Gold Star Outfitters resources with these to sister non-profits in our combined missions of bringing healing to our nation’s most injured service members and their families.

We will also partner with House in the Woods with support to their fly fishing, hunting and outdoor survival programs. We spent time with this organization and women veterans over the winter snow shoeing, building fires and other outdoor activities. If you haven’t had the time to visit this organization’s facility in Lee, Maine, please make the time to do so as it is truly remarkable.

Catherine and I have done a considerable amount of scouting this spring to further expand our portfolio of adventure options in addition to completing our CPR/AED/First Aid re-certification and NRA Basic Instructor Training (BIT) with plans to complete our handgun trainer certification in the coming weeks. We have also expanded our business plan with a more specified mission statement to include Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD recovery as objectives in our service to veterans and first responders.

We will further focus on reaching out to more female veterans and other underserved populations. Our recent experience in Maine with the loss of Somerset County Deputy Eugene Cole has also pressed the needs of our Law Enforcement and First Responder community as a top priority to Gold Star Outfitters, Inc.

Finally, we wish to express our deepest affection for America’s largest cohort of veterans (Vietnam Era) as they lift the torch from the weary hands of our WWII and Korean generations. Our Vietnam veterans have taken the lead in our nation as they enter their 50th anniversary of combat service, and have done so with grace and selflessness as they continue to mentor my generation of younger, asymmetrical warriors.

God bless you all and we will keep you updated weekly as we venture into this year of service at Gold Star Outfitters, Inc.