MINGO JUNCTION, Ohio — Veterans from all over the tri-state area came to the START training facility in Mingo Junction for the fourth annual Warrior Shoot on the 241st birthday of the U.S. Army.

It’s a day for those who served our country and their families to come together.

The Warrior Shoot is a unique opportunity for veterans and their families. Saturday marked the third consecutive year for the event at the Special Tactics and Rescue Training Facility. It encourages veterans to come together and reminisce on their time in the military.

“A lot of time veterans get out of any part of military and struggle to find people dealing with the same situations so I think we’re out here together,” said Dustin Gaworski, who served in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011.

Gaworski drove from Pittsburgh to join more than 150 veterans taking part in the Warrior Shoot.

“[It] brings back some memories, but I brought my wife with me today so she could experience some of the same weapons we shot,” Gaworski said.

Carlos Carmona, with the Fort Pitt Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army, helped start the event four years ago.

“What it does for spouses is it really gives them a better understanding of what we do, how we do it, how things are run, how the organization works, which then kind of correlates to them when we come home,” Carmona said.

Vets and their families get a chance to experience everything from modern combat equipment to a historic World War II-era tank and a Civil War replica cannon from the Heinz History Center. Instructors taught gun safety and explained equipment.

“A warrior shoot is to literally show spouses and the community how we do things in the military,” Carmona said.