Woodcraft Supports Patriot Woodworker Project to Thank Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts

Thank You

“Woodcraft appreciates the opportunity to partner with The Patriot Woodworker to say ‘thank you’ to Sgt. Mike Hulsey during this holiday season,” Woodcraft President and CEO Jack Bigger said.

Meet Sgt. Mike Hulsey

Family – Mike and his wife Meaghan have been married 19 years and have three children, Austin, a college freshman; Elizabeth, who will soon turn 17; and Wyatt, who is 7. The Hulseys reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Military Service – A month after Mike Hulsey began his US Army training as a generator mechanic the 9/11 attacks forever changed his country and initiated events that would lead him to nearly 10 years of overseas deployments, primarily in the Middle East. In a matter of months he was attached to the 1st Marine Corps division, an infantry company, which was sent first to Kuwait and then to Baghdad as the invasion of Iraq began.

He reenlisted with the option to change his career field and ended up reclassified as an NBC man. He volunteered to go to Fort Campbell where he received NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) Warfare Training and eventually was in Baghdad again, a deployment marked by three IED attacks and a house-to-house search that turned into a violent attack in which Hulsey and an interpreter were wounded.

“We were finally able to eliminate the threat and moved out to receive aid,” Hulsey said. “I would later be awarded a Purple Heart for injuries related to this incident; however, unfortunately it was an IED that truly injured me during this deployment.”

When he returned to Fort Campbell, Hulsey said he saw a spine specialist for lower back and hip pain. He was not able to recover and the condition worsened. He eventually deployed with the same company but to Afghanistan. He was assigned to the Tactical Operations Center and the radio until his condition improved or he knew what a surgeon could do for injuries.

At the end of the third deployment he was medically discharged and later had spinal surgery to correct ruptured discs in his back and to replace both hips.

Retirement – Now retired, Hulsey enjoys time with his family, including service dog Crocker, fishing, working at his fly tying bench, or making duck calls (see photo below). He also does woodworking with Meaghan, including wood shaving kits (see below).

To learn more about Sgt. Hulsey, visit thepatriotwoodworker.com. 

The Patriot Woodworker is a woodworking community with an emphasis on sharing and learning the skilled craft of woodworking and all of its related disciplines.

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