Our good friend, Dan Boever (REMAX Long Drive Champ, golf entertainer and all around good guy) shares his experiences in Iraq as he takes part in “Operation: FORE the Troops”. They say it’s a trip to “visit the troops” and “entertain”, but we know the governments real motive…it’s Dan’s ability to snipe at 380 yards with a Pinnacle Gold Distance.

The day at Walter Reed was very cool because we actually got to see the guys swing clubs. We went out to the front lawn and SMGA (Salute Military Golf Association) had mats, balls and clubs ready to go for any soldier who wanted to come get a chipping lesson. With tour stars Tom Watson, Corey Pavin and Tim Simpson there I pretty much was relegated to standing off to the side and pretending I know what to do with a wedge.

The gang outside of Walter Reed

Earlier the first soldier I met when I got there was Chris Burrell. He was hurt in December 2007 and was in getting his prosthetic foot worked on. He said he had been golfing and it messed up. After a swing he looked down and it was sticking off to the side. At that point I commented that if someone didn’t know him or that he had a bionic leg he could really mess with them. He laughed and said he did all the time. He then showed me what he called his “cool bar trick” and spun his entire leg 360 degrees in a circle stopping half way up at 180 degrees to show me his foot upside down. He and I would get along just spiffy.

Next I met Michael Williams. I had seen him walking out to the lawn with a foot sticking upside down out of the top of his backpack.  As we began to visit he told me he was in getting a change made to his prosthetic. His injury was below the knee and he said as his body healed he would get different devices to make the fit perfect.  Michael was easy to talk to and I found out he is a new golfer having really only played a handful of times.  My heart went out to him as he shared with me that he doesn’t like it when people treat him as a “some kind of cripple”.  He said he appreciates it when people try to offer a seat or help with some things but he doesn’t want it to be out of pity. As I looked at him I told him I didn’t see anything but a stud, with a goofy golf swing.  We talked about his swing and he got some lessons from the great Tom Watson.

One of the men running the show was Ramone. He is missing an arm and he helped design “Robo Wrist”.  It fits on his arm and rotates all the way around. I guarantee you don’t want to feel sorry for him. He will take your money on the course. His swing is that good.

I learned the difference in “walking legs’ and “golfing legs” from Tim Johannsen from Ft. Stewart, GA.  This young star has two turbo legs and a swing that is better than most able bodied people on the planet. What makes it really amazing is he has only been golfing since February.  I couldn’t believe it. He told me he never used to look at golf as a sport. He isn’t alone in that thinking.

We met Gabe Garcia and his beautiful wife and boy. Gabe is missing right arm and our man Ramone suggested he play left handed. After spending some time working with Bobby Wilson he made the switch to right handed. After all he played baseball and hit right handed, why not try hitting a golf ball right handed. Sure enough he was soon hitting it way better than he had from the left side. I am convinced Ramone was jacking with him and setting him up for a bet. We got that straightened out.

After the clinic we met a few soldiers in their rooms. One young man was a 22 year old from Pennslyvania and had only been there a short time. Shot from a mere two feet away he had lost his thumb and has damage to his mouth and jaw.  It is healing and was he told us was pretty amazing. He said he can’t wait to get redeployed back with his guys and get back to work.  Me? I would want to go home to my momma.

Christian Hughes and family

Our last encounter happened as we were leaving. We walked past young Christian Hughes. He had an entourage of family by his side and he was wheeling down the hall. A huge golf fan, Christian tried with all his might to get Corey Pavin to give him his captain’s picks for this year’s Ryder Cup.  No doing, Corey was kind but tight lipped. It was so exciting seeing the entire family around Christian’s side. He had his sisters, parents and even grandparents. It didn’t go unnoticed that his grandfather had a veteran’s cap on. The pride dripped from everyone in attendance.

An incredible day and now it is off to Dulles for our flight to Kuwait.

Learn more about Dan at his website DanBoever.com