DAV Magazine — November/December 2017
Rehab on the green
DAV joins VA as co-host for national adaptive golf clinic
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you,” said famed golfer and Coast Guard veteran Arnold Palmer.
Palmer is arguably one of the greatest golfers in American history, but even he experienced losses in his beloved game. But the failures on the course didn’t prevent him from picking up his clubs and trying again— in a career that spanned more than half a century.
In September, a fellow Coast Guard veteran displayed that same grit on the green during the National Disabled Veterans TEE (Training, Exposure, Experience) Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. The five-day event began in 1994 as a rehabilitative clinic for blind veterans at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, and its success led to expansion as a national VA adaptive sporting event. This year, DAV joined together with the VA to co-host the tournament.
Twenty years ago, DAV Past National Commander Dave Riley, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, believed his life of adrenaline and adventure was over when he woke from a medically induced coma to find both his arms and legs had been amputated, the result of a near-fatal bacterial infection.
Riley was first introduced to adaptive sports at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic near Aspen, Colo. There, he found what was missing from his life. At the VA and DAV co-hosted clinic, Riley rediscovered skiing and other adaptive sports like sled hockey, scuba diving, curling, kayaking and rock climbing. The self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie was hooked. So when DAV joined the TEE Tournament last year as a host-level sponsor, Riley jumped at the chance to try golfing.
“For nearly a quarter century, the TEE Tournament has helped transform veterans’ lives on and off the green—including mine. It’s a feeling unlike any other to be able to reclaim a skill you thought was gone forever after an injury or illness. It’s empowering and downright inspirational,” said Riley, who golfs with specially adapted clubs that insert directly into his prosthesis. Through the GIVE Program, which has a long association with the tournament, the clubs were provided to him at no cost.
The rehabilitative and instructional event provides veterans with education in adaptive golf, as well as opportunities to develop new skills and confidence through other activities, including kayaking, horseback riding, disc golf, fly-fishing, cycling and adaptive sports workshops.
“This event is about empowering our nation’s veterans to lead active, healthy lives,” said Dr. David J. Shulkin, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Being in the great outdoors, navigating the golf course is therapeutic, and the men and women here this week are examples that having a physical or visual disability is not an obstacle to a full and rewarding life.”
Navy veterans Jon and Eileen Vasquez returned to the TEE Tournament for a seventh year. The DAV life members are both combat veterans and served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The sailors first met in training as nuclear machinist mates and then reconnected after serving aboard the USS Enterprise. It was during that time Eileen first began struggling with her eyesight, and medical testing revealed she had reduced visual feel as a result of service-connected radiation damage. She was discharged from the Navy in 2004, and the following year she and Jon were married.
A year after their wedding, Jon was medically retired after sustaining a brain injury, among other injuries. While some people might see the couple’s collective injuries as insurmountable obstacles, incompatible with an active lifestyle, they were committed to finding a way to stay active together.
“This event reminds me that, no matter what you’ve been through, you can find a way to help others— regardless of the situation you have found yourself in,” said Jon. “The TEE Tournament embodies what we fought for and continue to fight for; we aren’t alone out there on the green, and we can get through it together.”
Eileen first took part in the event in 2010, and the following year both she and Jon returned as participants.
“It’s great to see friends and take in their attitude here. We look forward to it; everyone is so nice,” said Eileen, who was part of the first all-women veteran golf team at this year’s event. “There isn’t a lot of pressure, but you are able to push yourself as much as you want. The camaraderie of being surrounded by fellow veterans motivates us physically.”
More than 400 volunteers came together to make this year’s event a success.
“We volunteer every year at the TEE Tournament because we believe in what it does,” said Al Rowell, commander of DAV Chapter 6 in Dubuque, Iowa. “This event shows veterans that they can get out and go. It’s amazing to watch people’s faces there; you can get hooked easily.”
In addition to volunteering their time, the chapter provides each participant with a token of appreciation to take home as a reminder of accomplishments at the event.
“I have PTSD, and helping other veterans is my therapy,” added Rowell, a Vietnam veteran.
The DAV Auxiliary Department of Iowa is a sponsor of the event and donates countless hours annually to the TEE Tournament. This year, Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year Melissa Pierce was recognized with the Vonnie Gould Volunteer Award. Auxiliary National Commander Craig Johniken attended the TEE Tournament and was able to see a fellow member honored firsthand.
“At the local and state levels, DAV members have been proudly supporting the TEE Tournament for years,” said DAV National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst. “DAV is honored to join VA as a co-host and continue growing this life-changing event so as many veterans as possible can drive through obstacles, on and off the green.”
According to Kleindienst, the DAV Department of Missouri, the DAV Auxiliary Department of Iowa and DAV Chapter 2 in Davenport, Iowa, were among the sponsors who supported the event.
“Arnold Palmer once said, ‘The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.’ I think that sums up the spirit of the TEE Tournament—veterans breaking down barriers of what they once thought was impossible.”
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you,” said famed golfer and Coast Guard veteran Arnold Palmer.
Palmer is arguably one of the greatest golfers in American history, but even he experienced losses in his beloved game. But the failures on the course didn’t prevent him from picking up his clubs and trying again— in a career that spanned more than half a century.
In September, a fellow Coast Guard veteran displayed that same grit on the green during the National Disabled Veterans TEE (Training, Exposure, Experience) Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. The five-day event began in 1994 as a rehabilitative clinic for blind veterans at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, and its success led to expansion as a national VA adaptive sporting event. This year, DAV joined together with the VA to co-host the tournament.
Twenty years ago, DAV Past National Commander Dave Riley, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, believed his life of adrenaline and adventure was over when he woke from a medically induced coma to find both his arms and legs had been amputated, the result of a near-fatal bacterial infection.
Riley was first introduced to adaptive sports at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic near Aspen, Colo. There, he found what was missing from his life. At the VA and DAV co-hosted clinic, Riley rediscovered skiing and other adaptive sports like sled hockey, scuba diving, curling, kayaking and rock climbing. The self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie was hooked. So when DAV joined the TEE Tournament last year as a host-level sponsor, Riley jumped at the chance to try golfing.
“For nearly a quarter century, the TEE Tournament has helped transform veterans’ lives on and off the green—including mine. It’s a feeling unlike any other to be able to reclaim a skill you thought was gone forever after an injury or illness. It’s empowering and downright inspirational,” said Riley, who golfs with specially adapted clubs that insert directly into his prosthesis. Through the GIVE Program, which has a long association with the tournament, the clubs were provided to him at no cost.
The rehabilitative and instructional event provides veterans with education in adaptive golf, as well as opportunities to develop new skills and confidence through other activities, including kayaking, horseback riding, disc golf, fly-fishing, cycling and adaptive sports workshops.
“This event is about empowering our nation’s veterans to lead active, healthy lives,” said Dr. David J. Shulkin, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Being in the great outdoors, navigating the golf course is therapeutic, and the men and women here this week are examples that having a physical or visual disability is not an obstacle to a full and rewarding life.”
Navy veterans Jon and Eileen Vasquez returned to the TEE Tournament for a seventh year. The DAV life members are both combat veterans and served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The sailors first met in training as nuclear machinist mates and then reconnected after serving aboard the USS Enterprise. It was during that time Eileen first began struggling with her eyesight, and medical testing revealed she had reduced visual feel as a result of service-connected radiation damage. She was discharged from the Navy in 2004, and the following year she and Jon were married.
A year after their wedding, Jon was medically retired after sustaining a brain injury, among other injuries. While some people might see the couple’s collective injuries as insurmountable obstacles, incompatible with an active lifestyle, they were committed to finding a way to stay active together.
“This event reminds me that, no matter what you’ve been through, you can find a way to help others— regardless of the situation you have found yourself in,” said Jon. “The TEE Tournament embodies what we fought for and continue to fight for; we aren’t alone out there on the green, and we can get through it together.”
Eileen first took part in the event in 2010, and the following year both she and Jon returned as participants.
“It’s great to see friends and take in their attitude here. We look forward to it; everyone is so nice,” said Eileen, who was part of the first all-women veteran golf team at this year’s event. “There isn’t a lot of pressure, but you are able to push yourself as much as you want. The camaraderie of being surrounded by fellow veterans motivates us physically.”
More than 400 volunteers came together to make this year’s event a success.
“We volunteer every year at the TEE Tournament because we believe in what it does,” said Al Rowell, commander of DAV Chapter 6 in Dubuque, Iowa. “This event shows veterans that they can get out and go. It’s amazing to watch people’s faces there; you can get hooked easily.”
In addition to volunteering their time, the chapter provides each participant with a token of appreciation to take home as a reminder of accomplishments at the event.
“I have PTSD, and helping other veterans is my therapy,” added Rowell, a Vietnam veteran.
The DAV Auxiliary Department of Iowa is a sponsor of the event and donates countless hours annually to the TEE Tournament. This year, Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year Melissa Pierce was recognized with the Vonnie Gould Volunteer Award. Auxiliary National Commander Craig Johniken attended the TEE Tournament and was able to see a fellow member honored firsthand.
“At the local and state levels, DAV members have been proudly supporting the TEE Tournament for years,” said DAV National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst. “DAV is honored to join VA as a co-host and continue growing this life-changing event so as many veterans as possible can drive through obstacles, on and off the green.”
According to Kleindienst, the DAV Department of Missouri, the DAV Auxiliary Department of Iowa and DAV Chapter 2 in Davenport, Iowa, were among the sponsors who supported the event.
“Arnold Palmer once said, ‘The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.’ I think that sums up the spirit of the TEE Tournament—veterans breaking down barriers of what they once thought was impossible.”
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