A network of volunteers help PVA organize and carry out hunts all over the country. Many of the participants are disabled vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On a typical Saturday in November, Mark Hoke could be sitting in a duck blind on Maryland's Eastern Shore with a couple of buddies. He does, of course, but Hoke, a member of Avery Outdoors' pro staff, also spends time hunting with new friends. He organized and served as a guide on one deer and four waterfowl hunts for groups of Iraq war veterans last season, the second year he helped organize and guide hunts for disabled hunters. All of the hunters were injured during their tours of duty in the Middle East. Hoke simply wanted to repay them as best he could.

"My father served in World War II, and he felt very strongly about supporting our military. I do, too. I'm doing this through him," said Hoke. "What I'm doing is nothing compared to what these guys have gone through and given so that my children and I can sleep soundly at night. It's the least I can do."

Ironically, many of the vets he's hunted with don't see it that way. Hoke is surprised that the physically-challenged hunters actually thank him for his efforts.

"I just take them hunting. I'm not really doing a whole lot, at least not compared to the sacrifices they made," insisted Hoke.

Sergeant Jason Neilson is one of those grateful hunters. Hit by a sniper in the lower back while serving with the Army National Guard in Baghdad in 2005, Neilson figured his hunting days were over. An avid big game hunter from Arizona, Neilson moved to Delaware and was ultimately contacted by a member of the PVA who learned of Neilson's love of the outdoors.

"I had written hunting off. I didn't think it was possible any longer to do the things I used to love, but Mark and the other volunteers showed me that I could still hunt," said Neilson. "All of those guys were just awesome. I can't thank them enough."

Most of the injured veterans Hoke takes hunting are fresh out of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. A few are actually still in rehab but healthy enough to spend a day away from doctors and therapists. Most, like Neilson, were hunters prior to their injuries and eager to once again experience the thrill of geese tumbling to a decoy spread or deer slipping through the morning woods. A few, however, are new to hunting, which is just fine with Hoke, who regularly introduces youngsters and other beginning hunters to the sport.

Andy MacDonald, development officer of outdoor sports for Paralyzed Veterans of America, said these hunts not only help the injured veterans get back into the activities they loved so much, they serve as their own form of therapy.

"It's all about getting them outside and away from the hospital environment they've been subjected to since returning home. You should see the look on the faces of these injured vets when they are out there. It's pretty remarkable," he said.

Neilson added that he met other injured vets through PVA hunts who had the same fears he had. After spending time in a blind with them, he had a renewed sense of accomplishment and a new outlook on his future as a hunter.