FORT BRAGG, N.C. - First Lt. Ron Gooding has spent most of his life hunting throughout the woods of South Carolina. In March, he found a way to share his passion for hunting with the "heroes" of America.

Gooding is the executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, XVIII Airborne Corps. He is also founder of the non-profit group Hunting with a Hero, which was designed to facilitate limited-cost hunting trips for military members, veterans, firefighters and policemen. The group also donates proceeds to Family readiness groups around Fort Bragg. In the future, Gooding hopes to donate money to military units around the country.

"I have been blessed enough in my life to have places to hunt," said Gooding, a Charleston, S.C. native. "I wanted a way to give back to other heroes who don't have access to quality hunting grounds."

However, Gooding was initially limited by a lack of funding, equipment and hunting space. A meeting with Gene Kodama, the state forester with the South Carolina Forestry Commission, changed everything.

"I called Gene and told him what I wanted to do. He said HWAH was the answer to his prayers because he had wanted to do something for Soldiers," Gooding said.

Kodama began helping Gooding find landowners interested in donating land space to HWAH.

Gooding's group has hosted turkey, deer, hog, dove and bow-fish hunts. Sponsors and four "heroes" attend each hunt.

Pfc. Tara Ann Woodring, of Sanibel, Fla., attended a dove hunt in October and hopes to participate in more hunts. The 19-year-old combat medic with 3rd Bn., 4th ADA Regt. has been hunting deer, hogs and alligators for a decade.

"Hunting with a Hero is a great program," she said. "It gives Soldiers who don't have the money to go hunting a chance to do it. Plus, it gives the civilian sponsors the chance to get to know Soldiers."

For more information about how to get involved with HWAH, visit www.huntingwithahero.com.