Summersville resident Autm Sargisian figures many U.S. military veterans don’t get a fair shake when their tours of service are over – especially if they’re disabled.
Perceiving a need not being adequately tended to, Sargisian decided to do something about it and last December founded Armed Force Hunters, an organization designed to help disabled vets get out and hunt.
“There aren’t a lot of people who do anything for them and our government doesn’t either,” he said. “I’ve had friends come out disabled and I’m a veteran myself, and my heart goes out to the ones who used to hunt and can’t anymore. My dream was to make that possible again.”
To help make it possible, Sargisian and Armed Force Hunters hosted a skeet shoot fundraiser last Saturday at the Big Piney Sportsman’s Club on Highway B east of Houston. Sargisian plans to conduct similar events at various venues on a regular basis, and involve VFW and American Legion posts and members.
“We’re working on getting our non-profit status and we’re approved by the secretary of state,” he said. “We’re just doing everything by the book right now.”
Rep. Robert Ross (who owns and operates a 1000-yard bench rest range in Yukon) is Armed Force Hunters’ vice president. Sargisian said the organization’s first hunt should take place later this year during deer season and that he is seeking to recruit volunteers.
“Our goal is to keep it here in the Ozarks,” he said. “As we progress through the years, I’m sure we’ll branch out and travel to different areas and introduce ourselves. But there are enough disabled veterans around here who aren’t doing anything.”
For more information about Armed Force Hunters or to inquire about volunteering, call Autm Sagisian at 417-204-9519 or log onto www.armedforcehunters.com. The site features a list of upcoming events, hunt registration forms and complete contact information.
Armed Force Hunters can also be found on Facebook.