ABOUT
Tokoa Tekka'a is made of military veterans from all branches of the armed forces. The decades of experience each member brings to the team is quite impressive. Our teachers and mentors have been brought together from years of building relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime. Our new mission is to give back to our brothers and sisters still serving this great country, as well as give back to the people we swore to protect. We all come from different parts of the US, but we all have two things in common: 1) we all served our country; and 2) we love the outdoors.
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If you are planning a backcountry hunting trip, fly fishing trip, backpacking scouting trip, or want to explore the US on remote backcountry routes we can help you learn, prepare, and discover. We can teach one on one or set up classes to meet your needs.
OUR TEAM
Joe Manzonie
Founder and Project Manager
Joe grew up on a cattle ranch in central Nevada. He joined the Air Force in 2004 and spent his 20 year military career as Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Specialist. He started his career at Fairchild AFB, WA were he trained Air Force high risk of capture personnel and was a cadre member of the SERE Specialist training course. He also held assignments in Washington DC working for the inter-agency, Nellis AFB, NV as a exercise planner and coordinator, Duke Field, FL as a Special Operations Aviation Advisor, and Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ as an Operations and Training superintendent. He's trained in all four corners of the US and has multiple deployments overseas and has a background in emergency planning, survival techniques, and teaching.
Ed Newland
Co-Founder and Project Manager
Ed Newland served 25 years in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman, Special Forces Medical Sergeant, and Senior Instructor/writer for the Special Warfare Center and School. He has 5 combat deployments and served in numerous positions in the Special Operations community, spending 4 years as a SFARTAETC instructor, 3 years as a member of a Crises Response Force (CRF), 4 years on a Mountaineer team and 7 years on a Direct Action team. He also served 7 years as an Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, 134th Infantry Detachment (LRS), and 2nd Infantry Division. Since his retirement in 2017, he has continued his passion for teaching by Instructing the Combat Aviation Advisor course and Air Commando Basic Qualification Course on Hurlburt Field, FL.
Mike Hume
Project Manager
Mike grew up in New Hampshire and enlisted in the Air Force in 2004 after graduating from college. He served 20 years as a Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Specialist before retiring in April 2024. Mike's first assignment was at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington where he instructed survival and evasion tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to high risk of capture personnel and also spent 3 years as a cadre member with Joe at the SERE Specialist training course. From there Mike was assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida, before being detailed to the interagency in the Washington DC area. Mike wrapped up his career at McDill Air Force base in Tampa, Florida assigned to Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) where he managed sensitive personnel recovery programs.
Casey Wilbur
Project Manager
Casey was born in Maryland and learned his love of hunting and fishing from his grandfather.
After college, Casey joined the US Army in 2011 under the 18X program and became a Green
Beret in 2013. Casey was a special forces communications sergeant before becoming an
special forces intelligence sergeant. During his time in the military he spent deployments in
Afghanistan, north west Africa, southern Africa and the middle east. This led to him becoming
familiar with a large variety of environments and what it takes to operate and thrive in them.
During his time in the military he started backpack archery hunting for elk and mule deer in Colorado’s vast national forest system. Coming from the east coast at near sea level to 12,000 feet above sea level is as challenging as the logistics and coordination required to make cross country hunting excursions. Today, Casey lives and works in South Carolina where he actively hunts whitetail deer, hogs, and all sorts of small game. However, his calendar revolves around the western big game season. Utilizing his special forces training has been instrumental in developing his system for successful western hunts at high altitude. His passion for teaching,
hunting and fishing is what drives him to keep hitting the mountains and rivers every year.