Hunters bring hobby to Falcon

Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne, the senior non-commissioned officer of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, fires the first arrow at the Forward Operating Base Falcon Archery Range, Sep. 23. The range was made possibly through the efforts of Soldiers from the 610th Brigade Support Battalion, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.28.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Pfc. Nathaniel Smith
4th Brigade Combat Team
1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD – It's not uncommon for Soldiers to bring as much of home as possible with them when they deploy. Some bring pictures of loved ones. Others bring tokens such as stuffed animals.

Soldiers at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Falcon took it a step further, clearing out a dump full of 66 tons of trash and constructing a fully functional archery range where Soldiers can shoot, whether they've been hunting all their lives or they're simply looking to pick up a new hobby.

Staff Sgt. Nathan Tabor, a Joint Network Node assistant platoon sergeant with Company C, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, played a large role in the construction of the range.

For the Dickinson, N.D., native, it was the carrying on of a part of his heritage.

"My entire family hunts. Since I was a little kid, my dad's always taken me with him. I've just always done it," he said.

The carrying on of a tradition was not easy; a lot had to be done to prepare a range for something other than rifles on an Army installation. With help from several individuals and units, an idea that manifested while Tabor was on his way home for leave became a reality. He said his family, wife Marisol and son Luisito of Topeka, Kan., kept him motivated when he felt like quitting.

"It wouldn't be possible without my family. They motivated me quite a bit. There's been times when I'm like 'I don't have time for it," he said. "They're like 'just get it done, it pays off in the long run,' and that's what's happened. We've got it done, and it's definitely going to pay off."

Tabor saw the payoff as an opportunity to not only get to practice a hobby from home, but also to generate interest in a sport that has been losing its draw.

"It's great because every year the number of hunters and fishermen are steadily declining. That's for the simple fact people not knowing about it, people not having a place to go," he said. "As long as you have something there for the Soldiers to use, people will get interested. Next thing you know, it's something you like, and you're teaching your kids."

Tabor said in addition to the proliferation of an activity, it also provides Soldiers a distraction from the every day stresses of a war zone.

"It's a place for the Soldiers to get away when guys are coming back from missions," he said. "It's a good way to forget some of the stuff you're doing every day and start doing the stuff you remember from back in the States."

Classes to certify Soldiers on FOB Falcon interested in taking up archery for the first time are scheduled to begin in early October.

• Date Taken: 09.28.2007
• Date Posted: 09.28.2007 07:45
• Story ID: 12588
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ