EDGEFIELD, S.C. — NWTF spokesperson Brenda Valentine is one of several outdoor personalities heading overseas to support our troops as part of the Outdoor Legends Tour.
Valentine, Jim Shockey and Bill Miller will be traveling to military bases in Germany and Southwest Asia to entertain and thank U.S. troops in July.
The NWTF partnered with Armed Forces Entertainment and the Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund to participate in the Outdoor Legends Tour.
Photo courtesy of BrendaValentine.com
NWTF CEO George Thornton and Mossy Oak’s Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland worked closely with retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lew Deal to recruit outdoor industry celebrities to travel overseas to visit and entertain active-duty U.S. military personnel.
The first half of the tour took place in March with Thornton, NWTF spokesman Michael Waddell, NWTF Foundation Board member and former major-league baseball player Ryan Klesko and a number of other outdoor personalities visited military posts in Germany and the Middle East.
“Honored, humbled, flattered, anxious – there are so many adjectives to describe how I feel about being the only woman invited by Armed Forces Entertainment to join the Outdoor Legends Tour in Germany and Southwest Asia,” said Valentine. “If I can thank our troops in the field and the hospital for their service and brighten their day with news and stories of hunting, home and the outdoors, it will be a mission accomplished.”
Deal will lead Valentine, Shockey and Miller on the 10-day tour.
“For those currently serving in a war zone there are few things that mean as much as knowing the folks back home care about you,” said Deal. “It’s a handshake tour. There will be no production crews, no agents or sponsors − just high-profile outdoor people mingling, posing for photos with the troops and thanking them for their service.”
Valentine will be posting a number of blog entries during the trip to give readers a first-hand look at the tour. The posts will begin about July 16 and can be read at www.nwtf.org/blogs.
The NWTF is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America and was a driving force in restoring wild turkeys, which now number more than 7 million.
The NWTF and its volunteers, working closely with wildlife management agencies and other partners, have invested $372 million and conserved 17 million acres of habitat to benefit wild turkeys and countless other species. The NWTF also works to preserve our hunting heritage, and its dedicated volunteers introduce about 100,000 people to the outdoors every year through NWTF programs.
To become a member of the NWTF, join a committee or start a chapter, visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF. Follow the NWTF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theNWTF.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
