Was at Scarborough Faire yesterday with my wife and youngest grandson and had a moment in my life that I doubt I will ever have again.  At 3:30pm we attended the Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey show which I recommend.  When Mr. John Karger was ready to show the last bird of the show he gave a little background about the species. In the 70's this bird was almost extinct because of poisioning by chemicals used to fertilize crops of kill insects, these birds were dying from eating the bugs and such. He further stated that many people are afraid of this bird because of it's appearance and overall size. When he had his handler bring the bird out,  a gentleman seated a few rows up from me who I later talked to and found out was a Marine Vet, rose from his seat, removed his hat and stood at attention, this bird was the symbol of America, the American Bald Eagle. Having the Marine Vet stand like that took Mr. Karger completely by surprise. He asked if he was a  vet and  why he stood to which the vet  replied, like the American Flag, this bird is a symbol of America and deserves upmost respect. Mr. Karger was touched by this and told the audience he was going to do something he had never done before. He asked the Marine Vet to please come up by him, he shook his hand and thanked him for his service, he then asked one of his handlers to please bring a handlers glove over. He had the vet put the glove on and instructed him to go over by the Eagles handler. They then gave him instructions on what to do and only asked that he know let this American symbol touch the ground. He stood beside the handler and with some coaxing the Eagle moved onto his had, it brought some tears to the vets eyes as well as to the handlers and many other people in attendance. When the show ended, Mr. Karger was sitting on a chair in the display area relaxing and signing autographs on the program for any and all that asked. When everyone else left I approached him and shook his hand and thanked him for recognizing all veterans and by recognizing one he has recognized all. The Marine Vet and Air Force Retiree and myself stood there and talked with this wonderful gentleman for quite awhile. I found out the he has taken this Great American Symbol of Freedom to the military hospital in San Antonio so our war wounded and disabled could sit with this bird. He wants to do more of this but has had a hard time getting approval from the military doctors. He stated that one physician told him having the bird there was nice but it doesn't heal their mind for all that they've experienced. I don't agree with that. By showing our warriors that  this bird recovered from losing half a wing and didn't give up it's will that they can do the same. When the other gents left I shook Mr. Karger's hand and thanked him again. He asked me if I had a camera with me which I did. He asked me for my camera and instructed me to go over by his handler and the Eagle because he wanted me to have a picture with this magnificent bird. He took a couple of photos to make sure I'd get a good one, I thanked him and the handler and went down to meet my wife and grandson. I will admit that I had a few tears in my eyes after that experience and it's a moment I don't think I'll ever be lucky enough to have again. If any of you would like to find out more about the Last Chance Forever, The Bird of Prey Conservancy and their mission, Email me and I'll scan the brochure and Email it back to you. Mr. Karger is hoping if more people find out how he feels about the military and what he's trying to do for those of them that have suffered great losses that he will be given the chance to take this Bald Eagle to other facilities for our warriors to see.

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