A Special Thanksgiving Mission

November 26th, 2008

Pinnacle Distance Team members Art Sellinger and Brian Pavlet are doing something special again this Thanksgiving. The two long-drive legends are returning to the Mid-East as part of Operation Links, a golf-related USO mission to entertain and to show support for our servicemen and women serving in the War in Irag. Joining Art and Brian are CBS golf commentator David Feherty, touring pros Howard Twitty and Donnie Hammond, Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel and illustrator Victor Juhasz. Art sent us the following account from the first leg of their journey:

A photo of Art from the 2006 Operation Links mission

Today began my journey back to Kuwait and Iraq. It has been two years since my last visit.

The first leg was a flight to Washington D.C. with David Feherty. We were to meet up with the rest of our team — touring pros Howard Twitty and Donnie Hammond, Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel and Victor Juhasz, an illustrator for the New Yorker Magazine and other leading publications. Victor also illustrates Feherty’s hilarious columns in Golf Magazine.

Also with us is long driver Brian Pavlet. Brian was with me on the first Operation Links mission and I wouldn’t be going back without him. He has such passion and respect for the commitment of our men and women in uniform.

Our host is Rick Kell, a Maryland businessman who put together the first Operation Links that I took part in. This is Rick’s 10th mission. He also organized the first Operation Hardwood tour for NBA players.

The USO met us in D.C. and and took us straight to Bethesda Naval Hospital. I really didn’t know what to expect, other than we had been briefed that this trauma hospital treats soldiers wounded in action. The protocol is for soldiers to get the best treatment they can in Iraq, transfer immediately to Germany and then be sent stateside either to D.C. or San Antonio. They arrive usually within 7-10 days after sustaining their injury.

As we approached each room of the hospital, we were told the patient’s name and the type of injury. Our first visit was with Frank, who is 20 years old and serving his first tour of duty. His mother and grandparents were in the room. When discussing what happened, Frank told us he was upset that he had been shot while not engaged in combat. A sniper some 700 meters away shot Frank in the arm and his side. He never knew what hit him. He said his goal is to recuperate and see what he can do to get back to help his team in Iraq.

Our next visit was with a another young solider who sustained a brain injury from an IED (improvised explosive device). We met his wife and had an inspiring conversation. We learnedabout the amazing reconstruction procedure as well. The soldier was wearing an Irish shirt that read “Feeling Lucky Today”. You can imagine how Feherty reacted when he saw the Irish shirt. Kelly Tilghman quickly recounted a story when the only time she had seen that same shirt was the day Annika Sorenstam shot 59. Annika’s husband had worn it.

Our last stop at Bethesda was in the patient waiting room. The soldier wewere going to meet was still in surgery, his 30th procedure after having lost both his legs and an arm in an explosion. His mother and sister were anxiously awaiting the doctor’s visit. His mother told us some great stories about her son and his family. They are planning to spend Thanksgiving together in D.C.

Our next stop was Walter Reed Medical Center, the rehabilitation facility for those troops that have lost limbs and are recovering. You might recall all the media furor some time ago about the horrible conditions at Walter Reed. Well, I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be further from the truth. The place was incredible.

We met our tour guide, Ramon, a soldier who lost his arm a year ago. He is in his early 20’s and has an incredible attitude. He loves his golf, telling me about his round with George Lopez, and his outings to Congressional and Merion. His prosthesis has an attachment for baseball which he can quickly convert to golf.

Ramon told me in detail how he was injured. He was on a mission with his unit and they went back to camp to eat. His guys were taking a long time to come to dinner, so Ramon told them, “This food is burning up. Come get it quick because I don’t want to stand here and get shot.” Well, one second later that became a reality. An amazing story from an amazing American.

Ramon took us on a tour showing us the following: a state-of-the-art rehab center; virtual reality training for amputees that are getting back to civilian life; occupational therapy, which uses Legos and other basic toys to relearn motor functions.

The next room we went to had 30 high-tech cameras that showed doctors and patients the bio-mechanical movements of patients as they learned how to walk with prosthetics. The amount of computers and information was incredible. The next stop was a simulation room, where amputees learned how to drive specially outfitted cars using hand-controlled acceleration. It was so high tech, we all thought it was a video game.

The next room was a weapons training simulation. We took our turns shooting semi-automatic weapons. The soldier operating the system monitors all your movements and breathing as you fire. My performance was on par with my putting — not so good. Downright awful, in fact.

We then were shuttled back to the large rehab room where we met several soldiers, including Mike. Mike lost his leg in action but also became the first amputee to become a jump starter for the Airborne. His story will be a feature on an upcoming “60 Minutes” segment.

The guy next to Mike seemed fine. I thought he might be a visitor like us, until he rolled up his pant legs and displayed two prosthetics. The man said he has had 54 surgeries. Next to him was another soldier trying out a new knee mechanism I found out each time one of these mechanisms is replaced the patient has to relearn how to walk.

Our last visit was with Sonia, a 37-year-old soldier who was injured in training. She had played last summer in David Feherty’s outing for wounded warriors at Congressional. Like so many of the people we have met, Sonia loves golf.

In the coming days, I will write about other heroes we meet. Our first stop tomorrow will be at a base in Kuwait.

Our USO Guide is Jeffrey C. Anthony. A former soldier who has seen the world, Jeffrey has been hosting missions for the past 8 years. We had a conversation during which Jeffrey taught me more about world history than I ever learned in high school.

The week ahead will be amazing. Feherty has already challenged me to an ice cream eating contest and Pavlet wants us to pull 6 G’s in a Blackhawk. To be honest, I’m more up for the ice cream contest.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

- Art

Entry Filed under: Art Sellinger, Brian Pavlet, General