Golfers tee up to benefit veterans

By Jeff O'Brien

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 | 4:47 p.m.

More than 120 golfers — many of whom are combat veterans — gathered at TPC Summerlin on Tuesday for "Birdies for the Brave," a charity golf tournament benefiting members of the military and their families.

The event, which was founded in 2005 by professional golfer Phil Mickelson, raised more than $30,000 for six organizations — Home for Our Troops, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Naval Special Warfare Foundation, Operation Homefront, Intrepid Fallen Heroes and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Among those in attendance was Joseph Perez, a resident of Logandale, Nev., and a former member of the U.S. Army National Guard.

As a military policeman serving in Iraq, Perez suffered serious head injuries in 2003 during a riot at the Abu Ghraib prison 20 miles west of Baghdad. He spent more than two years under medical treatment before finally returning to his family.

Now that he's feeling better, Perez said he has become involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, a transitional program that often coordinates bicycle rides for wounded and disabled veterans.

"It opens doors so they start feeling better about themselves," Perez said. "Some of them are double amputees on specialized hand-cycles. It's an excellent recreational and rehabilitation program."

Many wounded veterans, Perez said, are men and women in their early 20s who are just entering the prime of their lives.

"They joined the military, took their first steps and now they're injured and back to square one," he said. "It can leave a real bitter feeling. But being able to interact with others and realizing you're not the only one is all part of the healing process."

Following the tournament, guests enjoyed a dinner that featured inspirational speaker Nick Popaditch — a Marine Corps veteran and former Iraq War tank commander who was left blind in one eye and partially deaf after the battle of Fallujah in 2004.

Summerlin resident Tony Shaw, a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Korean War, was one of the coordinators of "Birdies for the Brave."

"A lot of these kids are scarred for life, whether it's physically or mentally," Shaw said. "We're trying to help them feel like they are a part of society again."

As Perez surveyed the green hills of TPC Summerlin, he was trying to decide whether to golf or not.

"I haven't golfed in so long," he said. "But why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

Jeff O’Brien can be reached at 990-8957 or [email protected].