United We Stand: A Serviceman Reflects on Freedom, Family and the Outdoors

posted in:

November 9, 2012

Sometimes you have to leave something behind to truly appreciate it.

I find I relearn that lesson each time I deploy to a foreign land. I miss my family and friends the most, as is expected. Thanks to technology I receive emails from home, discussing everything from kids to the change in seasons and excursions into the woods to hunt. I am grateful for these snippets of daily life because they make me appreciate how much freedom we have.

This Veterans Day, I am deployed once again on foreign soil in support of our national interests. I am proud to serve, but at the same time, I am thinking of home and longing to be with family.

Brent_Cummings — Lieutenant Colonel G. Brent Cummings with his dog Tucker after a hunt for lesser prairie chicken in Kansas.

An image that comes to my mind when I think about home is stepping out into the cold morning with my loyal black Lab. I watch him excitedly chase some type of feathered creature that always seems to land just out of range or flush just a bit too low for a safe shot.

I can taste and feel the bite of cold as I take a deep breath and enjoy the fellowship of the hunt with a close friend as we map out the best strategy to move through a field or drop out decoys. So often we know our grand plan will fail, but simply being outside is the magic that makes the day.

Those memories represent the opportunity to share the moment outside, in a free country surrounded with the beauty of a magnificent landscape. Being deployed reminds me again how special that freedom is.

Enjoy Veterans Day and the freedom it represents. I support organizations such as the TRCP and other like-minded conservation groups. They are our guardians back home while we guard from afar. Because of their efforts, when I come home I have a place to hunt and fish. I encourage you to take the time to call your brother-in-law, uncle, friend or whoever you like to hunt with, and head out. Don’t worry whether you bag some game or not. Just enjoy the day afield and the freedom that has been earned.

I want to acknowledge how deeply grateful I am for the men and women who have served before me and laid the groundwork of freedom upon which I currently stand. Without their stewardship and professionalism, I wouldn’t have the freedom I cherish and expect as a U.S. citizen. In honor of Veterans Day, I encourage you to step outside with a friend or a family member and enjoy the freedom that has been granted to each of us.

Lieutenant Colonel G. Brent Cummings

United States, Army

Beginning in 2007, Lt. Col. Cummings served nearly 15 months in Iraq as part of the 2^nd Surge Brigade with the 216^th Infantry Brigade. He then served as Commander of as the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning. He is currently deployed in the Middle East.

4 Responses to “United We Stand: A Serviceman Reflects on Freedom, Family and the Outdoors”

nancy sargent November 12, 2012

I enjoyed very much these words from Lt Col Cummings. Very moving and makes me so grateful for the sacrifices many have made and are making so we can enjoy our beautiful countryside, our families and our way of living.

November 12, 2012 at 3:11 am

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Bob Burgin November 12, 2012

Thank you Colonel for protecting our interest! Hope to spend some time standing in some cold water as soon as the season opens.

bb

November 12, 2012 at 5:12 pm

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Barth Crouch November 13, 2012

Brent, good to hear you are still doing OK! Next time you are in KS, let me know, we’ll make time to go out on the prairie!
Godspeed to you, my friend!

November 13, 2012 at 8:41 pm

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mia sheppard November 16, 2012

Thank you for sharing Lieutenant Colonel Cummings and thank you for your service to our county.

November 16, 2012 at 5:24 am

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by: Christen Duxbury

posted in:

November 7, 2012

Wednesday Win: Caption Contest

For this week’s “Wednesday Win” we’re holding a caption contest for the photo below. Leave a comment and we’ll pick our favorite on Friday, Nov. 9. The winner will receive a TRCP camo hat.

by: Whit Fosburgh

posted in:

November 5, 2012

Cast your Vote.

American_Flag_courtesy_of_Wikimedia. — Get informed and be sure to cast your vote. Photo courtesy Wikimedia.

Voting can be summarized in a simple statement: if you don’t participate in the process, don’t complain about the results.

When the 2012 election season draws to an end tomorrow night, most of the attention will focus on the results of the presidential election – but sportsmen and –women should care about the races all the way down the ticket. From local bond measures and city council races to higher profile races for the House and Senate, elections matter. So get informed and be sure to cast your vote tomorrow.

Come Wednesday, don’t just sit on the sidelines until the next election. Remain informed about the decisions our elected officials make that impact fish and wildlife habitat and our ability to enjoy our natural resources well into the future. Pay attention to their promises and hold their feet to the fire to ensure they follow through on those promises.

If you care about conservation, the importance of well-managed fish and wildlife and your rights to keep and use firearms, don’t assume that someone else will take care of things for you. Participatory democracy works best when people engage, do their homework and make their voices heard in clear and thoughtful ways.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will write often about the challenges and opportunities facing sportsmen as a result of the elections tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you, your family members and all your friends will exercise our right to vote and make your voices heard.

by: admin

posted in:

October 29, 2012

Presidential Candidates Should Make Energy and Public Lands in the West a Priority

“Sportsmen and women understand that not every president can be as passionate an outdoorsman as Theodore Roosevelt. We do expect, however, that candidates for president understand the importance of keeping public lands in public hands while also acting on the need to balance energy development with abundant fish and wildlife populations, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities that include hunting and fishing. Both candidates would do well to listen to sportsmen and women.”

Wednesday Win: Post an Opening Day Photo

At the TRCP, we work hard so we can play hard, and when opening day rolls around it’s like Christmas for our staff.

For this week’s Wednesday Win, we’re giving away a hand-tied, commemorative Bully Bugger to the individual who posts a picture of their opening day outing on the TRCP Facebook page and gets the most likes by next Wednesday. Here are some photos of TRCP staff from various opening days in their respective states.