Palomar Insurance

In the Company of Vikings

By Deanna Smith

Quail hunting at Seven Oaks Farm, Danish Warriors JanBottcher and Mark Ingemann Peters fire as directed by local resident Rick Lane.

The scars of war are undeniable. Whether it is physical scars, amputations, traumatic brain injury, or the plague of ongoing Post Traumatic Stress, most Veterans are forever changed by combat.

Imagine coming home to a country generally apathetic about supporting its Veterans. Such has been the case of our Danish brothers in arms. While there is no animosity toward Veterans in Denmark, there is also no “thank you for your service” or support. I learned this recently when I had the honor of representing AHERO at the Senior Hunt in December, in Shorter, Ala., working with Seven Oaks farm owner Jeff Welsh to host 11 Danish Wounded Warriors.

During that week I found that, as many Americans are, I was ignorant of the contributions the Danish have made to our military efforts. That soon changed.

I was honored to meet Marine Corps LtGen General James B. Laster, who hunted alongside the Danes. “I served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint/Combined Operations, International Security Force (ISAF) Joint Command during a year-long tour of 2011 to 2012” Laster said. “I remember the distinguished service, professionalism, and bravery of the Danes during a very dangerous period of intense combat, especially in their area of operations in the Southwest. They were a tremendous force for the insurgents to reckon with. They all have my deepest respect and are worthy of their warrior heritage. They are in essence ‘major league Vikings.’”

In 2012, Royal Danish Army Master Sergeant Jacob Panton “died” in Afghanistan. Shot multiple times, Panton bled out and had no pulse for nearly four minutes. Miraculously, he was brought back to life, but his recovery has been long and tedious.

Panton had to learn to walk and speak again, and still suffers from short-term memory difficulties. Spurred by his own experiences, he began working on Veterans issues in 2013. His tenacious spirit drove him to establish the Danish Wounded Warriors, a band of brothers currently 102 members strong.

“The Danes have been key allies in the fight against the Taliban,” said General John Toolan, commander of all coalition forces in the Regional Command Southwest. “During a fiveyear period from 2010 to 2015, they joined the fight in Afghanistan. There were many contributions by these brave soldiers. I fondly remember a fearless tank crew led by Sgt Jacob Panton. They were engaged against the enemy for several hours that finally ended in evacuation of Sgt Panton to tend to his several gunshot wounds. The Danes truly demonstrated their Viking heritage, and were trusted partners in the war against the Taliban.”

Deanna admires Colonel Jim Cobb’s harvested buck at the AHERO Senior Mentor Hunt, December 2018.

Deanna with the Royal Danish Army wounded Veterans at the AHERO Farms, December 2018.