Lifesaver. The word gets thrown around a lot: a friend does you a huge favor; a stranger stops to help you along the side of the road; that small roll of peppermints comes along at just the right time.

Or an Army vet answers the phone and listens to a guy in a very dark place, whose literal last act could have been dialing that phone number.

Now that’s a lifesaver.

Retiring from the Army as a full colonel in 2007 and the new owner of 130 acres in the Northern Tier’s Potter County, Ed Fisher happened upon a story about fly-fishing, Vietnam veterans, and the healing that comes when you put the two together. He remembers telling his wife, Katie—why don’t we try and help these young men and women who are in the hospital suffering from devastating injuries?

“We pulled five guys out [of Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland] for that first hunt in 2008,” he says. Four of them were amputees, but Ed focused on their abilities, not their disabilities, and provided a friendly, handicapped-accessible camp environment without compromising their current physical limitations.

Ed became a lifesaver.

And now, in its eighteenth year, LEEK Hunting and Mountain Preserve continues to stand by its motto: Serving All Veterans, All Wars (savaw.org, on Facebook, or call (410) 322-4610).

“When I say we’re able to accommodate all disabilities and injuries, we can,” he says, pointing to his fleet of Action Trackchairs that motor through the woods, the hydraulic blinds that lift hunters up in the treestands, and a one-on-one guide service. “We offer a safe environment where these guys can go out in nature and talk each other through the healing process.”

A three-acre pond on the property is always open for catch-and-release fishing. Seven annual hunts—bear, deer, coyote, turkey, and pheasant—mean a full schedule, and they’ll soon be adding some waterfowling for geese and ducks. Each hunt has a volunteer lead guide responsible for logistics—lining up other guides, dogs for the upland hunts, properties, and enlisting other volunteers. Many are veterans themselves; they know what’s at stake.

“The place, people, and mission; it’s truly a lifesaving and life-changing organization,” says Army First Sgt. Jack Knouse. He was one of the first to experience LEEK’s healing on a doe hunt and now regularly volunteers as someone who’s “been there.”

“[Veterans] connect with other service members who have overcome or are suffering some of the same problems; we help each other out,” Jack says. “I know for a fact that it’s saved multiple lives.”

LEEK, a nod to the wild onion that covers Pennsylvania’s northern forests, asks nothing of the veterans who attend. The four-to-six-day hunts, the accommodations, and the food are free, all fueled by donations Ed is constantly soliciting for the nonprofit.

“All they have to do is get here. Everything else is paid for. We have the guns, we have clothing that has been donated,” says Ed.

Donations are also fueling the latest project—a 300-seat addition to Dunham Hall, the facility named in memory of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, a local Medal of Honor recipient mortally wounded in Iraq in 2004. Construction began this past June, and Ed hopes it will help secure the long-term sustainability of the entire venture. The new space will not only house and serve more veterans annually but will also serve as a revenue source for LEEK.

“It will be available for business conferences, weddings, and a host of other events,” he says. Funds raised go right back into LEEK activities.

As for the property and buildings, their future is secure. As Ed moves into his second decade with LEEK, he knows he won’t be there forever. But he also knows that the program has to; one of the most successful veterans’ outdoor programs in the country won’t end with his passing.

“We’re putting the property into an estate,” he says of the 400 acres and multiple buildings. “My wife and I are donating our entire property to LEEK, so this place will always be protected and always be here for the veterans.”

Back in the hunting blind, nothing is guaranteed—it’s all fair-chase hunting—except the experience and bonding with other veterans who have been there. Shawn Metcalfe, an Air Force Desert Storm veteran, admits coming back into civilian society was not easy.

“I’ll be honest, I was completely lost, and it’s a hard thing for people to understand if they’ve never served,” he says. He’s volunteered at LEEK from day one because he believes in the mission.

“We give them hope that there’s something better other than what they’re dealing with,” says Shawn, who’s now a guide. “If I’m with a guy for three or four days, I make a connection with him. They call me all the time, and I call them, too. We check on each other. you know, to make sure we’re okay.”

That’s the power of the Book. Anyone who’s ever joined a LEEK hunt can sign “22 A Day,” a list of names and telephone numbers dedicated to the twenty-two veterans who lose their lives to suicide each day.

“Once you sign the Book, you’ve also agreed to take a phone call. You don’t have to do anything else, just listen. Some of these guys, that’s all they want, is to know that someone is there on the line with them,” says Ed. “One of my volunteers recently got a phone call. It was a simple ‘thank you’ from the veteran who, in a very dark place, heard the words he needed to hear. ‘You saved my life,’ he said. When somebody says that to you and you know this program is the catalyst for those types of conversations, well, that’s so impactful.”

You could say…lifesaving.