As a follow up to last year’s Cast and Blast event, Foundation Project Manager, Joe Rhodes, had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Cast & Blast Alum, Craig. This interview will serve as the first in a monthly series that the Kniestedt Foundation will highlight this year.
A proud, husband, father and soldier, Craig has been married to his beautiful bride for eight years and has two amazing children. He grew up in a small town in Ohio and has been serving in the Army for nearly 17 years as a Human Resources Specialist.
For Craig, the trip was a great opportunity to break away from the day to day grind of the military life. It provided him with the chance to focus on nothing but enjoying the hunt and the company of those around him. Craig concedes that he, nor any of his fellow soldiers, serve to receive recognition for their contributions, but that meeting and spending time with true patriots is always a pleasure. He feels that he can speak for all of the participants of the Cast and Blast event when he says that they all left south Texas humbled by the patriotism and generosity of the Kniestedt Foundation team.
An avid hunter, Craig found that the hunts and the fishing expedition were once in a lifetime experiences and brought success to all of the warriors participating in the Cast and Blast event. For him personally, it opened his eyes to the thought of hunting game outside of deer. Military demands have cut the hunting and fishing seasons short, so it was a real treat for Craig and his fellow soldiers to get some extra time in the field. He chuckles when he says that, “I’m sure when we are all old and gray, we will still be telling stories about our unforgettable experience at Gravick Ranch with the team from the Kniestedt Foundation.”
Craig mentioned that the The Kniestedt Foundation provided first class accommodations along with a first class staff. He recalls that “right from the beginning of the planning phase, Joe Rhodes and Jim Kniestedt made themselves readily accessible to field any questions and Joe did a great job laying out all of the logistics for our travel.” He further explained that upon arrival at the ranch, Craig and the other guests were immediately welcomed like family and were able to make themselves at home. He really enjoyed his time with one of the hosts, Jeff, who showed them around the ranch, shared a bit about south Texas, and was one “heck of a chef.”
Craig shared that all of the guides were well versed and a blast to be around the entire weekend. Craig was assigned The Break team hunter, Bob “the hog whisperer” Gearhart to hunt with for the weekend. Not only did their team enjoy a lot of success in the field, but they, as he put it, “laughed
In closing, Craig stated, “ I will be forever grateful for my time at the ranch and the friends that I was able to make. While I know that I will never be able to repay the Kniestedt Foundation for an experience like the one I had this fall, but I will certainly do my part to ensure that their deeds to not go unheard of. I look forward to a lifelong friendship with Jim, Joe, the ranch staff, and the fellas from The Break (Bob, Tom, and Alex). While the hunting was all that anyone could ever dream of, the real jewel of the trip was the fellowship at the ranch with some of the finest patriots this country has to offer. Though it doesn’t feel like nearly enough, I would like to say a huge thank you to the Kniestedt Foundation team and all the sponsors that made this experience possible.”
