Giving Back Through Soldier On Program

So when I got out in 2000, basically at that point it was, you know, Veterans Affairs had given me my disability pension and really at that point, that was it. That’s all that was out there. I had to figure it all for myself. There was no programs, there really was nothing going on, I didn’t know what was going on so I had to figure out really everything for myself. But nowadays there are all these programs are out there so now Veteran Affairs does a great job with doing everything from the rehab program to vocational to even massage therapy, everything that they need to help. But on the other side with the active lifestyle is the Soldier On which is a program that obviously gets ill and injured soldiers up and out and active. Coming from the golf background now for the last 17 years and 20 years since I got injured, giving back through that Soldier On program there’s people in there that used to golf, maybe want to try golf and they can get out through this program. And Soldier On will get them out to a camp, you know, pay for them to come to the camp and there’s the grant program. And it’s really, it helped me because I went away from golf for a while and went down, you know, never left my house, I was in the basement and what am I going to do, I was sore and it just got worse and worse and worse. It was Soldier On that said hey why don’t you come and help us with the golf program and that’s what got me back into it. So now my passion is golf coach and coordinator and help volunteer all my time to Soldier On to help them further the golf side of it anyways. And there are so many other activities, horseback riding, fly fishing and skiing, anything to get outdoors really. But my passion is golf and seeing injured soldiers and especially the guys here and girls that were at the Invictus Games. To see them go from the first training camp we did back in the spring in Victoria to now, you know, that’s the new family. We had the camaraderie before in the military but now we got this little family that we are with for the year training for this Invictus Games and for them to go out and, you know, they all had a great time and smiles coming off the 18th green. So that to me, that’s my reward.