A Tribute To My Friend Hawker

[Brandon Pattison]

Back in '92 I enlisted in the Marine Corps. I met a guy who's last name was Porter, mine is Pattison. We were next to each other with our lockers, racks and footlockers in Infantry Training Battalion Receiving. This is pre-infantry school. I wasn't in bootcamp with him and grew to hate him. In fact, one time he was wrapped up in his poncho liner with his boot polish on fire to soften it up for good spit-shining and then caught on fire. "Help, Pattison. I am on fire!" said Hawker's brother Jason. I said, "No, burn."

I laugh to myself again at the thought of it. We were all pissed off and like I said, I hated him. I hated him, which I found out later, because we were A LOT alike, if not darn-near twins. After we got sent to our units, Jason and I were in the same company and same platoon. He was a machine gunner and I was an anti-tank assaultman in a USMC, boat-raider line company. We became inseparable until he went to Force Recon and I stayed in the grunts. I had a fear of volunteering.

Anyway, we met a lot at "The Cabin" many times during and after we got out to train, spit and drink. I have been serious about shooting bow since I was 12. I had gotten 'laxed in my archery until I showed up for a recharge weekend up north in Michigan's lower peninsula with Jason. I was watching Hawk, Jason's kid brother, shoot a Bear recurve. He handed it over to me to try as I was quizzing him and interested like a kid in a candy store. All it took was one shot. Hawk has mentored me since that day to include trad archery but also trout fishing and trapping. Are mentors younger than the student? You betcha!

Thank you Rokslide, your members, your founders and you too, Hawk! A friend for life. It is a good thing we live 1.5 hours away as you might catch on fire some day. We alpha-types have a way about us...

 

[bearguide]

you can learn to like almost anyone if you take the time to get to know them / neat story

 

[Brandon Pattison]

I forgot to mention...

Jason used to encourage Hawk and Zach to 'get' me. I would show up with clean and nice clothes on. They would be hiding around the corner, stalking me like big cats or velociraptors, lying in wait and then a coordinated, staggered attack. Dust and fur a flying! We would end up rolling around in dogsh!t, bar oil, dirt bike parts, grass and under muddy trucks. In fact, Zach told me one time, "When you let go of me I am going to kill you!" He wasn't joking. What would you do? There wasn't any bullying going on on my end. Dog eat dog. No babying. I was bigger and had some experience to save my tail.

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

Thanks for the story! Glad you are part of Rokslide! The best up and coming informative hardcore hunters information warehouse!