T.
Berokoff, AU Member
A
member of the Chattanooga Racing Pigeon Club who is also a Marine Corp veteran,
Don Snow, has a dream of reaching out to veterans and introducing them to the
potential healing power of the pigeon. To start this process he wanted me to
meet a veteran who has experienced this healing power, Mitch Gibson.
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| New Flyer, Mitch Gibson |
Mitch is also a
Chattanooga Racing Pigeon Club member and a Vietnam War veteran. Mitch believes that racing pigeons could serve
the same function as therapy horses and dogs.
He speaks from experience. At his
request, the focus of this article is not on the man who served our country so
valiantly, but rather on what the racing pigeons have done for him on his road
to recovery. Through sharing the role
pigeons have played in his life, his hope and dream is that other veterans will
be able to receive the same comfort he has from this bird of peace. It is his belief that this could also a great
way for returning veterans to reconnect with their families as they enjoy the
sport of pigeon racing together.
GROWING UP WITH PIGEONS
It
was an uncle who introduced Mitch to pigeons after his dad was killed in an
automobile accident. His initial
interest in those two blue bars stayed with Mitch through high school. He told me he would trade a pigeon with a
friend from school sometimes for a chicken.
He would ride to school with a pigeon in a bag and then hide the pigeon
under the floor of the school house.
After school his friend would produce a chicken he had brought and the
trade would be made. He loved having
those birds and it was only girls that made his interest wane a bit in his last
years of school.
After
graduating from high school, he and a friend went to a funeral home to view the
older brother of a mutual friend. At the
viewing they saw the deceased Marine in full dress uniform having been killed
in the Vietnam War. This was Mitch’s
first connection with the Vietnam War.
The impression of that Marine so moved Mitch that he decided he wanted
to serve his country and enlisted.
A SHORT BACKGROUND ON THE MILITARY
Mitch
served with the Army during the height of the Vietnam War from 1968-1969. During his tenure in Vietnam, he was awarded
3 Purple Hearts, 2 Bronze Stars, one with Valor, and one Army Accommodation
Medal. He was featured in the Stars and Stripes six times for his
efforts. The war was not kind to Mitch’s
health, having been exposed to Agent Orange.
Agent Orange gave him cancer, and after years of treatment has been in
remission for three years. The injuries
he continues to deal with on a daily basis are of a mental nature. Nothing helps him with this injury as does
the pigeon.
AFTER THE SERVICE
When
Mitch returned from the service, he wanted to get back into pigeons. He found some pigeons for sale at a feed
store and he was on his way. For years,
he would buy pigeons and found nothing could calm him as effectively as the birds.
In
the early 2000’s a friend of his, Mark Grisham, mentioned that a man he knew
had some white pigeons. That man was Don
Snow. When he talked to Don and asked if
he could buy some pigeons, Don told him that “if a man likes pigeons, then
he’ll take care of them” and gave, not sold, Mitch youngsters from his best
breeders. Over the years Don has
continued to give Mitch pigeons. Now
Mitch has over 100 pigeons.
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| Mitch Gibson (left) with AU Member & Mentor, Don Snow (right) |
WHAT PEACE THE PIGEON BRINGS
The
best part of the day is the morning when Mitch sits on his back porch with a
cup of coffee watching his pigeons fly.
He allows them to have open loft if he’s going to be out watching out
for hawks. Otherwise, he flags them in
after two hours. Baby squabs with the
soft yellow fuzz on their heads are Mitch’s best therapy. He loves the sweet smell of the babies. This is so effective for him that when he is
having a stressful day that’s causing high blood pressure or his heart rate to
increase, he visualizes the soft yellow fuzz and everything returns to normal. The cooing of the birds also works wonders in
calming his nerves.
He
says being in the service he became an adrenal machine, always on over-drive,
always over-active, and coming back to civilian life was difficult at
best. When watching the pigeons fly a
wave of tranquility washes over him and calms him.
His
dream is that others returning from the service who are dealing with the
memories of what they’ve experienced will be able to use pigeons as a peace
giving vehicle. It also is a means to
bring veterans close to their families again.
It could provide something to bond over as they breed the birds, get
them ready for races, and watch them fly.
Instead of thinking about the buddies who are still involved in war or
those who were killed, the pigeons can give them another purpose.
As
much as dogs or horses are not for everyone, Mitch is quick to add that pigeons
may not be for everyone. But, through
the jungles of medical and mental problems he has walked, without question, the
pigeons work for him and he believes that there could be other veterans who could
benefit from their peace as he has benefited.
Mitch
has offered to help any interested veteran get started by giving them some of
his own pigeons. In any capacity he can
help get them going, Mitch is more than ready to do so.
It
was an honor to meet Mitch Gibson and I can’t say thank you enough to him for
his service to our country. There may be countless other veterans and
their families who might benefit from becoming involved with pigeons. In our club alone there are five veterans
from the Army, Navy, and the Marines.
Veterans are also in the ranks of clubs across the United States. Reaching out to other veterans in the
community is a first step in giving back to these men and women who have served
us so selflessly. If any of you have
experience in this type of outreach, or have experienced the healing power of
the pigeon, please contact me and share your experiences. The homing pigeon has a history of helping
the military from ancient times through WWI and WWII. Though the homing pigeon has been used in
war, it is a bird of peace, now capable of helping the military on another
front. Our goal is to offer a
combination of the power of the pigeon with outreach so we can help make the
dream of healing a reality. Our
American Veterans have given so much for us; please join us and our pigeons in
our efforts to give back to them.
