Special Hunts, More Special Hunters To Be Thankful For
Happy Thanksgiving! This story is running this month in our sister magazine, Alaska Sporting Journal, but we wanted to show it off for CS readers as well. It’s a special story about special people and fitting to to share on this holiday.
We hope you have a meaningful Veteran’s Day today. This story appears in our November issue and we think you’ll be as inspired as we were putting this together:
BY TIFFANY HERRINGTON
At first light near Delta Junction, a thin layer of frost glistens across the tents, and coffee steams from tin mugs as the camp stirs awake. The sound of generators hum low against the stillness of the Interior. Inside the mess tent, volunteers move quickly – packing lunches, checking gear, topping off fuel cans and waking the hunters who have traveled thousands of miles for the kind of experience that only Alaska can offer.
This isn’t a guided hunt in the traditional sense. It’s a mission with a deeper purpose.
Each fall, the Safari Club International Alaska Chapter’s Warriors on Safari program brings together a select group of Purple Heart veterans for a moose hunt unlike any other. The hunt, held in the DM795 Unit southeast of Fairbanks, offers 100-percent disabled veterans a chance to experience the Alaskan backcountry with the support of volunteers who handle everything from camp logistics to meat processing. The goal is simple but powerful: to give back to those who’ve already given more than most ever will.
Marine Corps veteran Jamie Lantgen calls it “exactly what I needed; a reset.”
A DIFFERENT KIND OF MISSION
Lantgen joined the Marine Corps in 2004, serving as a scout observer and later as a joint terminal attack controller with 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. As a sergeant, he led a firepower control team on deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. On December 10, 2010, during a foot patrol near Sangin, Afghanistan, he was struck by an IED blast that killed his friend, Staff Sergeant Stacy Green, and severely wounded his team.
“I spent nearly two months in the hospital and had shrapnel damage across the entire upper right side of my body,” he says. “Even after all of that, serving as a marine was still the best job I could ever imagine.”
Hunting, he says, has always been therapy. It’s what grounded him long before and after his time in uniform. So when he heard about Warriors on Safari, he didn’t hesitate.
“I’ve been an avid hunter all my life, and hunting moose has always been a dream of mine,” Lantgen says. “After a long guiding season back home in South Dakota, this was my chance to hunt for myself – for once.”
The trip turned out to be more than a hunt. It was a homecoming of sorts.
“The teamwork was seamless, the animals were plentiful and the laughter was nonstop,” he says. “We’d be swapping deployment stories one minute and laughing until we couldn’t breathe the next. It felt like we’d known each other for decades.”
For many of the hunters, the bond forged in camp – around the fire, in the field or during the long drives through the tundra – is as meaningful as the hunt itself.
“The highlight of the trip,” Lantgen says, “was seeing everyone harvest their bulls and the joy it brought the group. No competition, no bragging – just genuine happiness for each person’s success.”
OUT OF THE GRAY
Army veteran Raul Gonzalez from Texas describes his time in Alaska as life-changing. “I arrived in Alaska and didn’t realize how I was not seeing things in color in my life,” he says. “After this hunt, I feel that I’m once again seeing things in bright colors. Sunrises and sunsets give me goosebumps now.”
Gonzalez enlisted in the Army’s airborne infantry and deployed to Iraq with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment in 2004. That December, he was injured in combat. Years later, after hearing about the Warriors on Safari hunt from another veteran, he decided to apply.
“The experience was out of this world,” he says. “Alaska shows you how amazing nature is. Being out there with other veterans, I felt like a young paratrooper again – telling jokes, sharing lunch in the field, breathing in clean air. I was able to forget the stress of the world.”
On the fourth day, Gonzalez harvested his bull moose. But what stayed with him wasn’t just the size of the animal; it was the moment that followed.
“The brotherhood that was shared is a reminder that we still have people who will stop what they’re doing to help out,” he says. “It reminded me of the military – brothers helping brothers, physically and emotionally.”
By the end of the week, Gonzalez knew he’d found something lasting.
“I made new brothers I’ve stayed in touch with,” he says. “We check in with each other about life, about family. I left Alaska lighter, like I’d handed some of my burdens back to the land.”
VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
Behind every successful Warriors on Safari hunt is an army of volunteers. They are men and women who devote their time, energy and resources to making sure everything runs smoothly.
For First Sergeant Justin Taylor, who’s been with the program for five years, the days start early and end late.
“This year I took on more of a leadership role,” he says. “Tasks like setting up camp, making sure meals were ready, restocking medical kits – just keeping the operation running.”
Taylor’s days began at 4:45 a.m. “I’d load the [side-by-side], fuel it up, grab lunch meals, make sure everyone had breakfast,” he adds. “We’d be on the road by 5:30 and hunt until dark, sometimes past 10 p.m. Once a moose went down, it was my job to make sure it was tagged, skinned and delivered to the butcher as quickly as possible.”
The work is demanding, but Taylor wouldn’t trade it.
“The most rewarding part is meeting these heroes and hearing their stories,” he says. “To share that camaraderie again is what keeps me coming back.”
He recalls one moment that captured the essence of Alaska.
“I was escorting a marine, Corporal William Hampton, when the quiet was broken by the roar of a grizzly. It launched onto the moose we’d been stalking – 10 minutes of chaos that we’ll never forget,” he says. “It was a once-in- a-lifetime experience, and it reminded me why this place is so special.”
THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM
Few people know the program as well as Rusty Craig, one of its founding members and longtime volunteers. He helped shape the Warriors on Safari hunt into what it is today: an operation backed by SCI Alaska, the state Governor’s Office and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
“Without that cooperation, this hunt wouldn’t exist,” Craig says.
This year, Craig helped lead planning, track logistics and ensure every veteran had what they needed.
“Luck favors the prepared,” he jokes. “But really, when tears of joy are shared among warriors, no words are needed. Seeing their reactions to success is 100 times more rewarding than anything I could accomplish myself in the outdoors.”
He’s seen the program evolve through years of trial and error – becoming more organized, more supported by local businesses and better equipped for Alaska’s brutal weather.
“This year we had heaters for every tent, cold-weather sleeping bags and generators donated by local companies,” Craig says. “SCI Alaska purchased new gear so the hunters didn’t have to worry about baggage or missing equipment. The focus was on the experience.”
Craig says his biggest hope was that the veterans never saw the stress happening behind the scenes.
“My goal was to give them the hunt of a lifetime,” he says. “I think we accomplished that.”
BUILDING A STRONGER CAMP
If the program has a quiet engine, it’s Kat Steele. Steele first joined the hunt as a guest when her husband drew a moose tag. What she found was a heartfelt, meaningful experience, but one that could benefit from more structure and visibility.
“I noticed they didn’t have a website or social media presence,” Steele says. “Without that, it was hard for the program to reach other qualified veterans who might want to apply. I offered to help.”
Her media and communications background became an asset. She created digital outreach materials, built a packing list and welcome guide, drafted liability and media waivers, and streamlined communication with nonresident hunters.
“I just wanted to make things as easy as possible before they even got to Alaska,” she says.
Working with Rusty Craig and Louis Cusack, SCI Alaska’s executive director, Steele helped elevate the camp setup.
“This year, we started planning at least six months ahead,” she says. “We had our equipment staged early, and even though the rain slowed things down, everything was ready when we needed it.”
The improvements showed. With help from Cabela’s and local sponsors, every hunter had heaters, insulated sleeping pads, waterproof gear crates and professionally catered meals.
“It made a huge difference,” Steele says. “One night, Louis and his wife even hosted a fish fry with haddock and salmon he’d caught himself. Those kinds of touches make it special.”
Steele says one unforgettable moment came when a grizzly bear interrupted a hunt – a moment she describes as “bone-chilling.”
Another came when a volunteer’s trailer went flat midtrip and the crew fixed it with NASCAR-level speed. “The teamwork between the volunteers and hunters is incredible,” she says. “It’s not just camaraderie; it’s a shared bond that comes from shared experiences.”
WHY IT MATTERS
For everyone involved, Warriors on Safari represents more than tags and trophies. It’s about gratitude, giving back and connection to Alaska’s wild places.
“This program proves we’ve learned from the past,” Lantgen says. “Vietnam veterans were often forgotten. Programs like this show we understand now how important it is to support returning and wounded veterans. Something as simple as a hunting trip can have a massive impact.”
Gonzalez agrees: “Warriors on Safari reminded me of why I love this country – amazing people doing amazing things for others.”
For the volunteers, it’s about service beyond service. “We do this purely to give back,” Taylor adds. “Many of the Warriors stay in touch after the hunt. The bonds last.”
And for Kat Steele, it’s personal.
“As the spouse of a Purple Heart veteran, this is how I give back,” she says. “I’ve spent the past three years missing my daughter’s birthday to be part of this, and my family supports it because they know what it means. My husband and daughters now hunt together. It’s changed our lives too.”
BACK IN THE QUIET
When camp broke down and the last of the moose quarters were processed, the Delta Junction flats returned to silence. The tents came down, the heaters were packed and the volunteers headed home – tired, proud and already talking about next year.
For the veterans, the memories will outlast the weather and the long days in the field.
“I’ll always carry the memory of harvesting a moose in Alaska,” Lantgen says, “but even more importantly, the friendships I made and the brotherhood I rediscovered.”
In the end, Warriors on Safari is about more than filling tags. It’s about teamwork, respect and the shared effort that makes hunts like this possible. It’s a reminder that the best rewards often come long after the season ends. ASJ
Editor’s note: Warriors on Safari is a program of the Safari Club International Alaska Chapter that supports 100-percent disabled Purple Heart veterans drawn for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s DM795 moose hunt. The chapter and its partners cover travel, tags, camp, food and processing costs, with volunteer support from local soldiers and community members. Veterans interested in applying can learn more through the SCI Alaska Chapter (aksafariclub.org; 907-980- 9018) and ADFG’s draw hunt application process (adfg.alaska.gov). Author Tiffany Herrington is a Seattle-based writer.
