Who is Captain Wintermute? And why is he in MY deer-blind in Clinton County?

For years, one of the deer blinds my hunting buddies and I have hunted out of in Clinton County, has had stenciling on the wall at one end of the blind. If you saw the "opening day selfie" I took while doing my "live reports" on the radio this year, you saw the stenciling on the wall behind me.

Obviously, somebody (from what I could see, it was a Capt."Termute") from the Marines had his stuff shipped from Okinawa to Virginia and somebody got hold of the container after the move - but nobody I talked to knew who Capt. "Termute" was. So, how did this end up in a deer blind in the middle of Clinton County, Michigan?

This year, after waking up from a much deserved, but unplanned nap on opening day. I took a pocket knife to the luxurious carpeting on the walls that the mice like to make into nests, so I could see the WHOLE name. (That makes me an investigative journalist) It was then that I found out that I needed to find a Capt. Jason WIN-termute. Thanks to Google, I was able to track down Capt. Wintermute at MCAS Cherry Point. Alas, he wasn't there anymore. HOWEVER, a nice guy named Mike Barton in their Public Affairs Office helped track Jason down and put me in contact with him. And then there were a flurry of emails.

Turns out Captain Wintermute is now Major Wintermute. He's based at Marine Corps Forces Command, he's a fellow BOWHUNTER and he's about to retire next year after spending 20 years in the Marines - including some time in some hairy places in the Mideast (Google "U.S. Marines Sangin, Afghanistan" sometime).  He was Director of Security and Emergency Services for the entire base at Cherry Point and he's getting his masters in Emergency Management. So, if you need some emergencies managed, he'll be your guy after he gets out next year. He's originally from eastern Pennsylvania, where he usually goes deer hunting when he can. And now he's getting his son into it. I told him we'd find them a spot to hunt if they ever get out to Michigan.

Oh, yeah. That shipping container that ended up being part of my deer blind? He has no idea how that got here to Michigan. Nobody I talked to did. All Jason knows is that container was from a move he made from Okinawa, Japan in 2006. And he doesn't know anybody from around here. One thing we do now know - the Marines recycle. First to fight, last to leave - and they're eco-friendly.

So, I feel like I know Major Wintermute now - and next time I'm whining about my deer hunting luck in that blind, I'll be discussing it with the Major's stencil.

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 –10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.