Washington, DC – After meeting with Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zenke last month, Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) was invited to return to the nation's capital. Learn to Shoot Again (LTSA) Director, Rick Cicero, was asked to be the guest speaker at a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) meeting as a follow-up to the Interior Department Disabled Veteran Forum two weeks ago at the Interior Secretary's office.
On November 9, 2017, Cicero spoke to over 100 USFWS employees at their headquarters in Falls Church, VA while being broadcast to their satellite locations across the country. The focus of the presentation was to report to government agencies on the successes HAVA and LTSA is having in the veteran community using disabled instructors to teach shooting to severely disabled veterans to re-ignite the drive and camaraderie that has therapeutic value to these heroes who often search for their place in the civilian world. HAVA/LTSA efforts, combined with those of the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Parks Service and USFWS are seen as a powerful team to increase veteran interest, access and programming on public lands and private facilities.
"Having the benefit of the LTSA team of disabled instructor's experiences during their recovery following significant injuries, plus the support of these government agencies to return accessibility to wildlife refuges for veterans with physical challenges gives us the credibility and resources to inspire the severely disabled veteran to reach his or her true potential," said Cicero. Following the presentation, Cicero met with top management representing Inter-Governmental Affairs, Diversity Programs and the Deputy Director of USFWS who each outlined their programs to increase accessibility to wildlife refuges, to promote hunting, and to offer employment to more veterans. The common theme was to advance these objectives for the long term and HAVA/LTSA was invited to interface directly with these agencies to achieve these common goals.
As HAVA looks to future growth in 2018 and beyond, a flagship program will be the expansion of the LTSA training initiative on both the local level in over 15 states coupled with the national program integrated with the USFWS agenda.
HAVA's Learn to Shoot Again Director, Rick Cicero in Washington D.C.
About HAVA
HAVA is a 501(c)3 organization formed by companies in the shooting and outdoor industry with the purpose of raising awareness and further assisting disabled veterans with their healing process through guided hunts, shooting events and other outdoor sports activities. The sustaining sponsor companies are Smith & Wesson, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Sig Sauer, Academi, Arnold Defense, ATK/Federal, Crimson Trace, FMG Publications, Glock, Hornady, Leapers/UTG, Leupold & Stevens, Mossberg, National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW), Proof Research, Rossi, Ruger, Surefire, Taurus, XS Sights, and Yamaha Outdoors among numerous contributing companies.
