Patti and I did not know Mike but we felt compelled to honor him during this Memorial Day weekend. Mike was the first Arizona Marine killed in action in the middles east. We want to honor Mike and his Family for the ultimate sacrifice. Thank-you Lance Corporal Mike Williams. Our Prayers are with your family and the other military men and women that are protecting our right to freedom.

(if you would like to read Mike’s story please double click the story image above, when it comes up,,, click it again.)

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Jim and Patti Solomon

SSG Timothy Vigen is the son of Craig and Lynn Vigen from Fargo, ND and the grandson of Jim and Chris Ebele from Phoenix, AZ. Tim also has a wife Tara and a beautiful 3 year old daughter Taylor who live in Fargo for now.  Tim is in the Army 101st. Airborne out of Fort Campbell KY. Tim followed his grandfathers footsteps and enlisted in the Army just out of high school.  He graduated from boot camp on July 4th. 2001 and was sent to Afghanistan right after the 911 attacks.
 
He is on his fourth tour (1 in Afghanistan and 3 in Iraq), he is on a new  base that is being built for the 101st. Airborne near Kalsu Iraq. The base is being named after a fellow comrade that was killed in action on their last tour in Iraq, Patrol Base Vanderhorn. 
 
Tim and two of his friends built a climbing wall when they were on their previous base Camp Striker. When they were transferred they took the wall down and took it with them to the new base.  The other soldiers on base really enjoy using the climbing wall on their time off from patrolling. The climbing wall has become a distraction for the guys from the unpleasant situations regarding the war. The soldiers also help with the building of the new base on their time away from patrolling.
 
When Tim gets out of the service he would like to get a job as a Mail Carrier or maybe some other job like a Forrest Ranger, so he can be outside most of the time. Because of his new love for Rock Climbing he would like to take up mountain climbing, he also likes to golf. The guys do play some golf on make shift courses that they set up in the desert

We honor those men and women who are in the military that honor us by making the sacrifice by serving in our Armed Forces. Thank-You.

If you have a loved one that you would like to see on our website please send us their story and a picture of them doing what they love in the outdoors and a picture of them overseas and if we get them up on the website,,, Danner Boots will supply them with a pair of new military boots free.

Ryan Cleckner, a Phoenix native, served in the United States Army as an Airborne Ranger in 1st Ranger Battalion in Savannah, Georgia. He served on a Ranger fire team for a couple of years until he made his transition to the 1st Ranger Battalion Sniper section. He has attended the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC), Airborne School, Ranger School, EMT-I School, and he was part of the first group of Americans to ever graduate the French Alpine Instructor’s course (CIECM). Ryan completed multiple combat deployments as a Ranger Sniper and as a Sniper Team Leader.

Upon returning to Phoenix, Ryan used his GI Bill to return to school and work on his degree. He has since been active finishing up school, teaching outdoor related classes (rock climbing, backpacking, land navigation, etc.) through a local community college, running his own business creating and operating websites such as GoTakeAHike.com as well as your very own XplortheOutdoors.com, teaching at a government contracted Sniper School, and staying active outdoors.

Ryan loves backpacking! He is happiest on a mountain with a pack on his back. He has taken his military experience and his love for the outdoors and created an online community, taught many college classes, and is the co-host for this show’s Go Take A Hike segment.

You can contact Ryan through his website at RyanCleckner.com

This category is dedicated to our service men and women who honor us by making the extreme sacrifice to fight for our country’s freedom.

If you have a loved one in the military and you would like us to honor them in this category, feel free to send us one picture of the honoree in their fatigues and one  picture of them doing their favorite outdoor sport along with a story about them. What their job is in the military, where they are stationed and a story of their most memorable outdoor experience.

These will be displayed every month on the front of the site for all to see and enjoy and archived under the “Honoring Those Who Honor Us” category.

Just email us at jim @xplortheourdoors.com with the pictures and the story and Patti and I will make sure it gets on the site.

Patti and I feel these men and women  deserve our utmost respect and we are proud to be able to honor them in this way.