Gold Rush takes on Veterans!

 

Here is some exciting news about some of our veterans!!! Gold Rush, Discovery Channel’s #1 Friday night show, will include a crew of injured veterans in the new season!

This was forwarded to us from a contact at Walter Reed. The information below was supplied by Kyle Pletzke, Army veteran, who is part of the crew [Some of the wording was changed by Camp Snoops Project for editing purposes but all content remains intact]:

“We have teamed up under Gold Rush veteran Fred Lewis who is a former US Army Special Forces medic, and our mine boss. 

Our group of injured service members was chosen to be part of this show, to prove to the world, that even in trying times, including the COVID pandemic, we are able to come together to take care of one another and in the end, come out ahead even with the odds against us. Most of our team members have no mining experience whatsoever, which is why this is such a challenge. We must truly work together to persevere!

The miners are:

Stefan Generally- 2 Purple Hearts, former US Army Special Forces

Johnny Stanz- 2 Purple Hearts, former Marine Raider. (Several weeks at Walter Reed around 2011) 

Stuart McKenzie- Purple Heart, former US Army Infantry Sniper (Several months at Walter Reed in 2006)

Kendell Madden- Former US Airforce Socom, injured in a c130 crash.

Kyle Pletzke- Former US Army infantry, combat injured (3 years at Walter Reed)

Together with Fred as our boss, we started this venture with very little notice. 

We are all living together in a camp setting in eastern Oregon. A couple members have small campers and the rest live in tents. I am living out of my truck-bed. Individually, we have given up a lot in our lives to be here. We also do not have the creature comforts that most mine sites have. We bathe in a frigid stream, cook our food over campfire and live outside. All of this is to further show and prove the resilience and fortitude of our former military members, especially those of us who were severely injured. We want to prove not just to ourselves but to the world, no matter how many times we get knocked down in life, be it injuries, money issues or a pandemic, there will always be a way to be successful and strive to live the AMERICAN DREAM!!! 

I wanted to share this with you, because I believe so strongly in our nation’s veterans and the incredible support systems that back them!

Best, 

Kyle Pletzke”

We at the Camp Snoops Project hope you will tune in to Gold Rush to celebrate these heroic veterans!