On Jan. 25, ASCO Equipment presented a check to Combat Marine Outdoors (CMO) in the amount of $130,515 to benefit CMO’s program for severely wounded marines, soldiers, airmen, sailors and navy corpsmen.

The check resulted from a yearlong effort by local employees in ASCO locations throughout Texas to benefit CMO in 2012.

ASCO has a corporate and personal commitment to community and philanthropy, selecting deserving organizations each year to benefit from the efforts of its employees and staff, according to the company.

“I’ve seen more scar from the battlefield healed and more emotional scars healed for everybody,” said President of Combat Marine Outdoors Rusty Hicks. “These guys’ sacrifice to our country is not going to go unnoticed.”

Individual fundraising efforts were determined by each location. ASCO and the Wright family matched all money raised for the total amount.

Command at the Wounded Warrior Battalion-San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) and the Warrior Transition Battalion selected two deserving recipients for the hunt: L.Cpl. Blake Watson, USMC (hometown Dallas, Texas) and Lt. Ryan Brunett, U.S. Army (hometown Troy, Mont.).

Both were wounded in action in Afghanistan and are active duty assigned for rehabilitation at SAMMC in San Antonio.

“It’s not that when you get injured your body’s different, its that you don’t think you can do the things you love to do,” said Brunett. “So having everyone out here supporting us and giving us the opportunity to be outdoors and hunting and doing the things we did in life before we were injured lets you know pyschologically, emotionally and physically, ’hey you can still do everything you love to do.’”

ASCO also has arranged for a personal phone call to the service members by country music superstar, Trace Adkins. Trace has a long record of supporting the military and wounded warrior efforts. He also is spokesman for ASCO in Texas.

“It’s better than any therapy you could receive from any hospital,” said Watson.

About Combat Marine Outdoors

Combat Marine Outdoors started in 2005 after visiting combat wounded Marines and Sailors from the 1st Marine Division at Brooke Army Medical Center for several months. The Marines, Sailors and service members there needed an opportunity to get away from the hospital, in an environment of friendship, camaraderie, and fellowship with fellow Marines in order to accelerate their recovery from the traumatic injuries they sustained in combat.

In many cases, these service members did not want to leave the confines of the hospital, but it was (and is) crucial to begin to re-inculcate back into society. In every case, the Marines and other service members who participated in the outings felt an enormous sense of accomplishment and a new sense of hope and belonging once the trip was completed.

For more information, visit http://www.combatmarineoutdoors.org.

For more information on ASCO, visit http://www.ascoeq.com/.

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