Just saw this article in the Indy Star. I did a quick search and didn't see it on here, so hopefully it isn't a dupe:
John Wayne Walding's military exploits made this year's hero for Brickyard 400 naming contest
It only gets two sentences in the article, but he went on to start a custom rifle business named 5 Toes Custom. Here is the description from their website:
"5 Toes Custom is an idea of helping combat wounded vets and giving back to charity by building handcrafted precision rifles. When the founder, John Wayne Walding, lost his leg in Afghanistan, he had trouble trying to find his new “North Star”. He found his star through his close, yet unlikely friend, David Feherty. David and John met in 2008 they have played 0 rounds of golf but shot more than 10,000 rounds of ammo together. It was their love for long-range marksmanship that drove the idea to manufacture the most accurate rifle. John then found a master gunsmith, by the name of Dick Cook, to show him the art of handcrafting rifles. After months of empty Red Bull cans and broken bits Dick was able to teach a not so old dog a new trick.
John built one, two, then ten rifles and realized his new passion in life. But he couldn’t just build rifles; he needed something that meant more to him. 5 Toes Custom became a place where combat wounded vets could also come find their North Star. Knowing that there is many other transitioning vets; the decision to give them the opportunity for the same direction was an easy one."
I just got done reading Fearless, the story of the Navy Seal Adam Brown who was killed in Afghanistan. So seeing stories of our soldiers getting some recognition and finding a new purpose is just so cool.
John Wayne Walding's military exploits made this year's hero for Brickyard 400 naming contest
It only gets two sentences in the article, but he went on to start a custom rifle business named 5 Toes Custom. Here is the description from their website:
"5 Toes Custom is an idea of helping combat wounded vets and giving back to charity by building handcrafted precision rifles. When the founder, John Wayne Walding, lost his leg in Afghanistan, he had trouble trying to find his new “North Star”. He found his star through his close, yet unlikely friend, David Feherty. David and John met in 2008 they have played 0 rounds of golf but shot more than 10,000 rounds of ammo together. It was their love for long-range marksmanship that drove the idea to manufacture the most accurate rifle. John then found a master gunsmith, by the name of Dick Cook, to show him the art of handcrafting rifles. After months of empty Red Bull cans and broken bits Dick was able to teach a not so old dog a new trick.
John built one, two, then ten rifles and realized his new passion in life. But he couldn’t just build rifles; he needed something that meant more to him. 5 Toes Custom became a place where combat wounded vets could also come find their North Star. Knowing that there is many other transitioning vets; the decision to give them the opportunity for the same direction was an easy one."
I just got done reading Fearless, the story of the Navy Seal Adam Brown who was killed in Afghanistan. So seeing stories of our soldiers getting some recognition and finding a new purpose is just so cool.
