The year after Edward Fisher retired from the Army, he missed it and wanted to reconnect with people who had served, like him.

On his large property in Potter County, he created an outdoor adventures space in 2007 for wounded and injured military veterans to hunt and fish.

“When I first started LEEK, I thought it was all about hunting and fishing and things we did in the Army, but we just bonded over that kind of stuff,” said Fisher, president and founder of the LEEK Hunting and Mountain Preserve.

After having a first hunt, “I quickly realized it had nothing to do about hunting. It had everything to do about these men and women getting in here and being able to talk to each other about their experiences, where they’re at and help each other. I mean that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Activities like hunting and fishing trips held at LEEK, in East Oswayo, provide bonds between people who actually understand and have lived similar experiences.

“We wanted to give back to the veterans who suffered devastating injuries fighting in our nation’s wars,” Fisher said.

Veterans are able to use mobile track chairs, sit in hydraulic operating blinds and hunt with experienced guides on more than 400 acres of wilderness in northcentral Pennsylvania. They also have about 40,000 additional acres available for the hunts from different landowners. 

It’s a Christian atmosphere where prayers are offered before meals and church services are held on Sunday mornings.

“It’s something we want to promote,” he said,

The mental health aspects are critical. In talking with Veteran’s Administration staff, he realized about 22 soldiers die each day from suicide in our country.

“It’s a shame that that has to happen to our veterans, that they feel the only way out is to take their life,” Fisher said.

The participants in the hunts all agree to be willing to take calls from fellow veterans at any time just to talk. He said those talks, when someone is going through a rough time, can end up saving lives.

“That’s the value of going the extra step for our veterans, knowing that there is someone there for them at all times,” he said.

They are having meaningful conversations that they can’t have with their spouses, family members or friends.

“When your sons and daughters, your moms and dads, cousins, aunts and uncles all go away to war, they come back different people, they just do. What they have to live through, it changes them. So I’d just ask you to give them a little bit of leeway, love them and tell them how much you appreciate their service and sacrifice,” Fisher said.

Now in its 15th year of operation, the volunteer members help those who had an injury enjoy therapeutic outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.

“We focus on what our wounded heroes can do without compromising any of the abilities or physical limitations,” he said “We provide a safe and friendly environment for our service members.”

The all-volunteer organization is in its 15th year.

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They organize six hunts a year and each hunt has eight to 10 soldiers. There is a predator hunt in February, a spring gobbler hunt, a pheasant hunt in September, a black powder deer hunt in October, a bear hunt in November and a rifle deer hunt in December. Fisher would like to add a duck hunt to that mix. All hunting license are paid for by the organization,

“We continue to grow, we continue to provide more services,” he said.

The organization is funded through sponsors and donors, and donations are used to enhance their programs.

“When people found out what we were doing, they all got on board and said, ‘We want you to bring those veterans here. We know what they’ve done and we want to do that,’” he explained.

The group now has plans to expand its Dunham Hall facility to make it suitable to host weddings and business conferences to help make the facility more self-sustaining.

As for the name, he explained LEEK was originally an acronym for four people who were involved. Now it’s more of a tribute to the wild onions of the same name that grow in the region. But the organization is in the process of transitioning to the name SAVAW for Saving All Veterans All Wars, which “accurately portrays what we do here at LEEK.”

An open house will be held June 9-11 at the facility in Potter County. Visit savaw.org for more details about the hunts, how to volunteer, to donate and the open house.

Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him [email protected] and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook@whipkeyoutdoors ,Twitter@whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram atwhipkeyoutdoors.