That cold winter of 1982 Reuben Wilburn, who ran the boy's dormitory told us that if we cleaned our rooms up and got the place looking nice, that he would take us on a deer hunt. Holy Cow! Well, needless to say, you can imagine how clean that place looked in no time flat! I had never been hunting, but had shot a .22 bolt action rifle a few times... boy was l excited!

We arrived at Camp Gene Ashby before any of the other groups, and were able to get some bunk beds near the back fireplace in the back bunkhouse. Then, Jim Pond came to greet us and offered us (about 10 of us kids and Reuben) a new pair of boots if we wanted them. I got a pair of eel skin boots that probably should have cost me $400.00! I, simply, could not believe what was happening. We all got boots-nice ones! And gloves, warm hats, and all the chili we could eat!

We woke up at 5am or so and our group went to a place called Smith Ranch, as I recall. The guides were all real nice to us. Many were rude, unshaven, and brash-which made it all the more fun for us--they kept us all in stitches laughing. My guide had a .270 Winchester, by which I was totally enthralled!

The deer were everywhere, but that didn't keep me from missing, shot after shot. I was crouched down next to a tree for my first shot and the recoil knocked me on my rear. I was all of 70 lbs-and boy did that guide ever get a laugh! We just kept shooting and I just kept missing.

Later, he set up a Coke can, and taught me how to shoot with a scope. To that day, it was the greatest day of my life.

I returned to hunt at Operation Orphans for the next 7 years killing deer, Ibex, Turkey, Aoudad, and even a Blackbuck Antelope on many different beautiful ranches and reserves. People just cannot believe some of the stories that can be told about my adventures there. I remember each hunt with utmost Fondness. I later graduated from college and joined the US Coast Guard where I earned the title Expert Marksman (Pistol and Rifle) all the while attributing this skill to the generosity of those guides who served to momentarily fill that missing father figure roll in my own life. l wonder if they know how far their small investment has gone, and how much it has meant?

In November my wife Eryn, and I, will be expecting our own son. I wonder if I could possibly bless him with the experiences, generosity and selflessness that the guides and staff at Operation Orphans showed me? I'm going into fatherhood with the confidence that I
can, considering the fine examples I have to follow.

My wife and I live in Altadena, CA where we both work in cancer research (her as an RN and myself as an engineer in nuclear treatment). Sadly, there are few deer here other than the ones that root through the garden. If I were to shoot one, I would be burned in effigy by our state's many liberal groups, or worse! I don't mind though, as those deer tend to remind me of some very fond memories. Thank you for what you do there at Operation Orphans. Let me stand and tell you that your work literally changes lives, as it certainly did my own. If you have a mailing list, I would love to be on it. If I can possibly help, please ask.

Most sincerely,

Mark Vaughan