https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayFEZQ4Gfcs&feature=share
We had wind, we had snow and even frost. Everyone dug in and got to be a part of the snake river corrals construction project. We fished, we hiked and we all had a good time. We are working on a major video project to showcase our work in the park but here is a snippet of this year. Huge thanks to the veteran crew this year for their efforts and always Arch for their contributions.
Click here to watch!
Wednesday at Camp Withycombe, Warfighter Outfitters was once again blessed with a donation of 2 more Action Track chairs from the Portland-based Poznanski Family foundation. One chair will be a dedicated chair for Team Overland trips and the other chair will be a dedicated fishing chair leaving the third for fill-ins and as a dedicated hunting chair.
Each chair will have its own special fittings and uses making them perfect for all three events and broaden the spectrum of uses and broaden the reach of not only veterans beings served but the use in the region.
These chairs will allow a much easier time for Veterans to travel into the region with minimal gear knowing they will have the best equipment and help money can buy for their reach when they arrive on a trip.
A huge thanks from the whole Warfighter team goes out to the Poznanski family foundation, KGW, and the Portland Rose festival and Carr family for being such wonderful and spirited supporters of our mission.
Since we are primarily Veterans serving Veterans, we really take the time to acknowledge the sacrifices our fellow servicemembers have made and truly believe in honoring those that have given the ultimate sacrifice. We also feel those souls should have a name and be honored in a way that would bring joy to those that still remember them today. Even though Memorial day origins began as “Decoration Day” following the end of the Civil war in the spring of 1865 it still pays homage to the fact that our country has always set aside a day dedicated for pausing in reflection for our fallen.
All of us here at Warfighter Outfitters have individuals on our minds that we once fought alongside or lost to suicide over the years. These individuals need to be remembered and honored not only for our own selfish reasons but for the sake of their families and loved ones.
Although a good portion of America will see Memorial day as a federal holiday and take advantage of the time off while grilling on the beach or road tripping with the family and never really recognize the true meaning of the day. Some will even say things like “Thank you for your service” or “Happy memorial day” in random passings. For most Veterans, these words and phrases are very misguided ramblings that tend to further aggravate their own path and meaning during memorial day.
Memorial Day is a day when we as the country come together to honor and remember our servicemen and women who answered America’s call to service and paid the ultimate price. Memorial Day is the time for Americans as one body and voice to stand up and say, “Thank you. We remember you.”
If you are wondering how to spend some time this Memorial day honoring those that have fallen you don’t have to go far or dedicate your whole weekend doing it.
We suggest you simply take the time to find and learn the story behind a fallen hometown hero or dedicate your holiday to a single individual. For some, it is too difficult to think about the vast amount of sacrifices that those have laid down over the years or comprehend the sheer multitude of families that have a very hard time coping this specific week of May.
You can buy and raise a new flag in front of your home.
You can visit a local battlefield and walk where those have fallen.
You can visit your War Memorial or local Cemetery with your kids and seek out the veteran headstones. Maybe lay some flowers for those that don’t have any.
You can attend a local parade or Memorial day function.
You can google a specific person, long lost relative or even ask a veteran you know about someone they lost and enjoy the stories they have to tell about that Servicemember.
You can flood your social media feeds with photos and stories of the fallen ones you cherish.
You can wear a red poppy from your local VFW to show your day of remembrance as they traditionally were among the first flowers to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium of WW1.
For most of the country at 3 p.m. local time, wherever you are on Memorial Day, we will all pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute for the national day of remembrance.
However you spend your memorial day weekend you should do it with at least one thing in mind, Nobody ever intended to be impacted by Memorial Day.
Here are some of the fallen that our team personally recognizes and will always Remember and Honor
PFC Thomas Tucker ARMY
SSG Kevin Davis ARMY
SGT David Evans ARMY
SSG Faoa Apineru USMC
SGT Frank Sandoval ARMY
SSG Timothy Hunt ARMY
LCPL Shaun Hefner USMC
CPL William Pullen USMC
CPL Steven Jorgensen USMC
CPT Frank Wesson USAF
Richard Olsen NAVY
1SGT Vaughn Army
CPT Peak Army
SPC Nevell Army
If you would like to dedicate a donation in the name of a fallen servicemember you can do so here, We will carry the names of the dedicated on our trips for the year.
Our very own Furry army veteran and Warfighter Guide, Dave made his television debut and was featured on Fox 12 Today on an episode of “On the go with joe” sharing his love for what he does and the mission of Warfighter outfitters.
Dave came to us a while back with the enthusiasm and humor that fit right into our mission so we added him to the Warfighter crew. He spends most of his time in the Portland area and really gets the mission and cause of getting Veterans like ourselves out on the water.
Here is the episode
If you are a Veteran that would like to join the Warfighter Outfitters team and helps us get Veteran out on the water or in the woods drop us a line. at Warfighteroutfitters@gmail.com
If you would like to support us by filling our tanks and getting veterans on trips you can donate here
We put both brands in one place for you to get gear that supports veterans and are brands worth supporting. Every garment you buy helps get veterans on the water or in the woods and helps us represent a cause we think is worthy.
Not only that you get a decal with every order for free!
Hats, Hoodies, Tee’s, Long sleeves, Fishing shirts!
What is there to lose, you look good, you feel good and people will know what you support!
Buy some gear, tag us in a photo of you wearing it and we will toss you some freebies!
Go to the home page www.warfighteroutfitters.org and click the gear footer at the bottom of the page!
We are honored to have made the pages of one of our favorite magazines. The March/April2019 edition of the Northwest Flyfishing magazine had a nice short story about us and the work we do on the rivers. Cheers to the staff and putting it together and getting it in print for us. And Cheers to Aaron Sewall for the pen strokes!
As any Nonprofit grows and expands to meet the needs of its beneficiaries and its donors we have listened and acted on the feedback we receive from donors to make giving easier and simpler for you when choosing to support us and our mission.
That is why we have partnered with GiveWP to offer a nonprofit-specific online donation platform that will enable each donor to personalize and keep track of their own contributions.
Here are some of the features available to each individual donor.
Here is an example of how you can personalize and memorialize your tax-deductible donation and send an instant E-Card to any email address you choose while helping us getting Veterans on trips.
Our promise to you:
Every single donor dollar you give to Warfighter outfitters will go directly into our basic operating costs such as fuel and food. We have zero salaries, Zero employees and Zero compensated personnel. We are all Veteran Volunteers and nobody takes a single penny for what we do. All of our equipment and major overhead is paid for directly with Grant money and our insurance is paid for by corporate sponsors leaving your specific donor dollars just for the actual cost of what we do.
Our average cost per head to operate is $15 dollars per Veteran. Yes, that’s right only $15. One of our typical jet sled fishing day trips runs 6 Veterans up and down the river for roughly $90 a day.
We look forward to earning and keeping your support as an all-volunteer Veterans nonprofit because, without you, our donor family, we are powerless.
Congratulations to all the folks below that were selected to join Warfighter Outfitters on our two highlight trips of the year.
The Yellowstone Warfighter roster will be filled with
C.Turner of Idaho
E.Koppel of Mississippi
D.Koppel of Mississippi
K.Dishong of Arizona
B.Manfre of South Carolina
D.Valentine of Oregon
M.Hergenroeder of Oregon
J.Slater of Texas
C.Gassert of Pennsylvania
J.Doughtery of Texas
And the Oregon Warfighters chosen for the San Juan Invitational fly fishing tournament will be filled with
S.Nickell
J.Spano
E.Tanguy
J.Frazier
Congratulations to all those who were selected for these showcase trips.
If you were not selected for a spot don’t let this discourage you from applying to future trips, We try to get new folks out on all of our trips every year so it will be unlikely these folks will get to come along on another showcase trip like this.
We will be offering Deschute jet sled fly fishing trips soon so stay tuned for your chance!
Warfighter Outfitters is now accepting applications for a Secretary position on the board of directors. As life changes come and go and our organization grows so do our positions and we don’t want to add any additional burden on our volunteers. This is a volunteer position on our board of directors and requires at least attendance of 4 board meetings a year. We are looking for someone in central Oregon that is willing to offer their expertise in the position to help us foster and aid in the service of veterans while being part of a kick-ass team of fellow veterans.
If you are a Veteran in the Central Oregon area and would like to apply for the position please send your resume and DD-214 to info@warfighteroutfitters.org
Below is a rough outline of the duties of a Non-profit Board secretary, Don’t worry, its not all work and no play, as a board member you will have inside access to trips and functions in a managerial role on all trips and events for Warfighter Outfitter and Team Overland offerings. We all love what we do and it shows on our trips and offerings.
The secretary position of Warfighter Outfitters plays a critical role in fostering communication and diligence through proper management and utilization of important records such as meeting minutes and the organization’s bylaws. The secretary position has wide-ranging responsibilities, requiring much more than simply being present at all board meetings. He or she is an active conduit for communication by giving proper notice of any meetings and timely distribution of materials such as agendas and meeting minutes. Additionally, the secretary should be knowledgeable of the organization’s records and related materials, providing advice and resources to the board on topics such as governance issues, amendments to the state laws, and the like, that will assist them in fulfilling their fiduciary duties. As the custodian of the organization’s records, the secretary is responsible for maintaining accurate documentation and meeting any legal requirements such as annual filing deadlines. The secretary is responsible for reviewing and updating documents as necessary and ensuring all documents are safely stored and readily accessible.
A secretary will be most useful to Warfighter Outfitters when his or her role is catered to meet the unique structure and specific veterans needs of the organization, rather than filling a “one-fits-all” job description.
Duties may additionally change from time to time as may be assigned to him or her by the board. General Responsibilities Organizations are required by law and by custom to maintain certain records for several purposes, including:
• the accurate recollection of decisions;
• determination of eligibility to vote;
• continuity of policies and practices; and
• accountability of directors and officers.
The Secretary is responsible for ensuring that accurate and sufficient documentation exists to meet legal requirements and to enable authorized persons to determine when, how, and by whom the board’s business was conducted. In order to fulfill these responsibilities, and subject to the organization’s bylaws, the Secretary records minutes of meetings, ensures their accuracy, and availability, proposes policies and practices, submits various reports to the board, maintains membership records, fulfills any other requirements of a Director and Officer, and performs other duties as the need arises and/or as defined in the bylaws.
The Secretary is accountable to the Board of Directors. Through the Board of Directors, certain duties of the Secretary may be delegated to the Executive Director, Board members and/or committees as appropriate; however, the accountability for them remains with the Secretary.
The secretary is responsible for ensuring that accurate minutes of meetings are taken and approved. Requirements of minutes may vary with the jurisdiction but should include at a minimum:
• date, time, location of the meeting;
• list of those present and absent;
• list of items discussed;
• list of reports presented;
• text of motions presented and description of their disposition.
The Secretary signs a copy of the final, approved minutes and ensures that this copy is maintained in the corporate records. The secretary ensures that the records of the organization are maintained as required by law and made available when required by authorized persons. These records may include founding documents, (eg. letters patent, articles of incorporation), lists of directors, board and committee meeting minutes financial reports, and other official records. Membership Records The Secretary ensures that official records are maintained of members of the organization and Board. He/She ensures that these records are available when required for reports, elections, referenda, other votes, etc.
Bylaws
The Secretary ensures that an up-to-date copy of the bylaws is available at all meetings. Communication The Secretary ensures that proper notification is given of directors’ and members’ meetings as specified in the bylaws. The Secretary manages the general correspondence of the Board of Directors except for such correspondence assigned to others. Meetings The Secretary participates in Board meetings as a voting member. The Secretary provides items for the agenda as appropriate. In the absence of the President (and Vice-President, if the position exists), the Secretary calls the meeting to order, presiding until a temporary chairperson is elected. The secretary records meeting minutes as described above Depending upon the bylaws and practices of the organization, the Secretary may perform these duties for Member meetings (eg. Annual General Meeting) and/or for an executive committee.
Signing Officer
The Secretary may be designated by the Board of Directors and/or bylaws as one of the signing officers for certain documents. In this capacity, the Secretary may be authorized or required to sign or countersign checks, correspondence, applications, reports, contracts or other documents on behalf of the organization.
Filing of Documents
The Secretary may be the registered agent with respect to the laws of the jurisdiction.; the person upon whom legal notice to the corporation is served, and responsible for ensuring that documents necessary to maintain the corporation are filed.
Looking for something fun to do Saturday, April 27th from 6-9 pm? Then put together your best 1920’s attire (not required) and come down to Gompers Distillery at 611 NE Jackpine Court in Redmond. Gompers Distillery will be celebrating their 1920’s speakeasy tasting room and distillery. There will be a 6 piece jazz band, passed appetizers, buffet, “Gomptails” served by the tipsy lemon, performances by the bend Burlesque company, cake from foxtail bakery and table games with proceeds going to Warfighter Outfitters.
Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM PDT
Gompers Distillery
611 NE Jackpine Court
Building D, #7-8
Redmond, OR 97756
For more info, you can contact the crew
Jessica, Michael, and Jerry
Gompers Distillery
541-588-2825
info@gompersdistillery.com