News

AT&T National honors troops during patriotic opening ceremonies
Date Posted: 7/3/2008

By Tim Hipps
FMWRC Public Affairs

14-year-old Anna Nicholson sings the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a Joint Services Honor Guard presents the colors during the opening ceremonies of the second-annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am. - Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs

BETHESDA, Md. – Although Army brat Tiger Woods was at home in Orlando, mending his wounded knee, the opening ceremony of his AT&T National PGA Tour event was a nonstop tribute to service members and their Families.

About 20 wounded warriors were seated beside the No. 1 tee box – not far from 25 children of deployed parents. An Air Force brass quintet seated between them entertained the crowd. A Joint Services Honor Guard backed 14-year-old Anna Nicholson’s rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Five skydivers from the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles Parachute Demonstration Team then dropped onto the lush fairway – delivering golf balls that had been struck by troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Thirteen-year-old Maggie Rollins and Jeff Dahl, 9, teed up and whacked two of the balls that officially opened the second-annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am July 2 at Congressional Country Club.

Jeff Dahl, son of New Jersey Air National Guard Maj. Thomas Jeffrey Dahl, hits a ceremonial first shot at the second-annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am to officially launch the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods PGA Tour event July 3 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. - Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs

Rollins, of Woodbridge, Va., is the daughter of Army Sgt. Tyrone Rollins, who recently returned from a tour of Iraq. Dahl is the son of New Jersey Air National Guard Maj. Thomas Jeffrey Dahl, who is serving in Pakistan. They represented Our Military Kids, which provides support to the children of deployed and severely injured National Guard and Military Reserve personnel.

The program provides grants for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the time a parent is away in service to our country. It also provides activities and support programs that help children better cope with challenges that arise during a parent’s deployment or injury recovery.

“I wanted this year’s ceremony to honor the men and women who serve in our military and their Families,” said Tiger Woods, who donated 30,000 tickets for military Families to attend the tournament. “I grew up in a military household, which gave me an understanding of the sacrifices these Soldiers and their Families make for all of us. It’s our way of saying thanks to them.”

The Wounded Warriors Project hosted the group of Soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where they are recovering from life-altering injuries.

“It is the premiere organization that just steps up and supports the families and supports the warriors,” said Staff Sgt. (ret.) Dan Nevins, a double-amputee who was injured Nov. 10, 2004, in Balad, Iraq, when an IED exploded beneath his vehicle. “They’re the people who can get guys like me out of the hospital bed and onto the mountains skiing and onto the river rafting and rock climbing – you name it – just to prove to you that you can do everything you used to be able to. You might have to change some things or have some adaptive equipment. I don’t have any legs, but I can still play golf. I’ve whitewater rafted. You can go snowboarding, wakeboarding, you name it.

Jeff Dahl, son of New Jersey Air National Guard Maj. Thomas Jeffrey Dahl, hits a ceremonial first shot at the second-annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am to officially launch the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods PGA Tour event July 3 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. - Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs

“I cannot imagine rehabilitation without it.”

Later in the day, PGA Tour officials treated wounded Soldiers and their Families to a barbecue at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Mologne House as part of their Birdies for the Brave military outreach program.

The AT&T National honored a specific branch of the U.S. military each day: Coast Guard Wednesday, Air Force Thursday, Navy Friday, Marine Corps Saturday and Army Sunday.

“To be here on the Fourth of July week in the nation’s capital celebrating our independence and our freedom with a group of guys who have given so much, a group of people in a sport who care more than they let on – they all do so much to give back – it’s just been phenomenal,” Nevins said. “You can’t ask for more.”

Fifteen-time PGA Tour winner Fred Couples, who played guest host for injured Tiger Woods at the AT&T National, congratulates Our Military Kids representative Margaret Rollins, daughter of Army Sgt. Tyrone Rollins, after she took a ceremonial first shot July 3 at the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. - Photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs