For Freedom

Members of Limberlost Coon Hunters Club gather for a competition in early November every year.

But this weekend’s activities weren’t about the local enthusiasts and how many raccoons they could bring home on a Saturday evening. Instead, the focus was on a group of men the club members had never met.

The Limberlost club teamed up with Freedom Hunters to host three hunts — two for raccoons and one for squirrels — for military veterans Friday and Saturday.

“Heart-thumping, exciting, just a zen time of being outdoors,” said Isidoro Castillo, 47, Clarksville, Tennessee. “It brings me peace and tranquility.

“These guys I’ve met this weekend, they’re amazing. Total strangers, but they just opened their arms and welcomed me in. It’s amazing. Really amazing.”

Castillo, a native of Panama who moved to the U.S. as a child and served 24 years in the Army, was one of six veterans to take part in this weekend’s hunts. Joining him were Todd Toman and Brad Parkin, brothers-in-law from Wisconsin who were in the Air Force; Andrew Frueh of Iowa and Josh Hall of Michigan, who were both in the Army and served six years together; and Paul Maas, an Army veteran from Wayne, West Virginia.

The veterans gathered first Friday at the Limberlost club, 39 W. 750 North, rural Bryant, and went out for a raccoon hunt that evening. That was followed by a squirrel hunt during daylight hours Saturday, and then a raccoon hunting competition Saturday night.

As they regrouped at the club early Saturday evening, they swapped stories from the previous 24 hours as they ate chili and chicken and noodles.

Parkin admitted he wasn’t sure if it made a whole lot of sense to drive for six and a half hours from Madison, Wisconsin, just to hunt raccoons. But, he said, it was worth it.

“I didn’t realize these guys were basically going out and guiding us,” said Toman, who recently retired from the Air Force after 28 years that included stints in Iraq, Pakistan and Syria, echoing his brother-in-law’s thoughts. “They’re letting us do the shooting. They’re finding us the shots. So that has been really cool. We just thought we were going to be tagging along.”

The series of hunts this weekend came together in just a few weeks after Matt Lingo, president of the Limberlost club, learned about Freedom Hunters when he heard founder Anthony Pace on the Houndsman XP podcast.

Lingo reached out to Freedom Hunters, a non-profit organization that provides hunting adventures for veterans, about being a host. Once they had all the details, the Limberlost club members quickly agreed it would be a great idea.

“If it’s something that we can give back to them, to go and have fun and get away from life for a while, enjoy the outdoors, just by us going out and doing something we love to do, that's easy,” said Lingo, adding later that it was the most amazing thing he’s ever been a part of through coon hunting. “Without these guys, we don’t get to do what we want to do. It’s just a cool thing, I think, for us to be able to do for them.”

The hunt carried special meaning for the veterans in different ways.

Maas got to enjoy his favorite hobby.

Castillo referred to it as a sort of outdoor therapy.

For Toman, it provided an opportunity to hunt after he had lost touch with most of his deer hunting friends after nearly three decades in the service.

Parkin got to relive a bit of his childhood, when he used to go hunting with his father.

And friends Hall and Frueh were able to enjoy each other’s company.

“It actually means a lot … especially since I get to hang out with a battle buddy who I haven’t seen in five years,” said Hall. “Just to be able to get guys out of their element and come out and enjoy themselves with people they don’t know, it’s kind of hard for people like us. So it’s fun to be able to do this sort of thing. It’s nice that people are willing to put stuff like this together for you.”

“I don’t like to use the veteran card a whole bunch,” added Andrew. “Sometimes it gets kind of embarrassing, but at the same time it feels nice to be appreciated.”

Upon arriving in Jay County, Castillo, who goes by the shortened “Isi,” discovered that he had a local connection.

On April 16, 2011, he had been part of a key leader engagement in Afghanistan. A suicide bomber detonated about 7 feet from him. He was able to dive when he saw the device, surviving the incident and earning a Purple Heart.

The first to check on him when he regained consciousness was Jeff Imel, who works at Jay County Sheriff’s Office. The men, who had not seen each other since that day 8 and a half years ago, were able to reconnect this weekend, getting together for breakfast Sunday morning.

Castillo said he appreciated the opportunity share his stories, including the one that led him to Imel. And it was meaningful to have the Limberlost hunters open their community to he and the other veterans.

“People can say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ all day long, and that’s great, and I truly appreciate that,” he said. “But when they bring you into their little world and show you how they do things and share with you their experiences, unbelievable. Just unbelievable.”