PGA TOUR Wives Association Joins PGA TOUR
in Honoring Service Men and Women
AT&T National
By: Julie Petrovic

Wednesday night of the AT&T National is not a night that will be forgotten soon by any of the attendees.  Members of the PTWA and TOUR players joined injured soldiers and their families for a BBQ at the Mologne House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  I can't think of words adequate to describe how touching it was to be part of this event.  We met so many severely injured service members that were so positive and kept thanking us for taking the time to come and see them.  These people have made sacrifices we can't really fathom and they were so grateful to us for spending an evening with them.  Both the PGA TOUR and the PGA TOUR Wives Association had set up tables loaded with donated golf balls, hats, pins and our “Giving Through Golf” wristbands.  The wounded military and their families chose their "goodies" and then had their hats signed by some of the 20 TOUR players attending the event.  There was face painting and a playground for the children and a buffet of delicious BBQ food.  This is the type of event that changes your outlook on life.  I have always been grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of our enlisted troops, but the evening put a personal face on how great the sacrifice is for a lot of these brave men and women.  My two girls, ages 6 and 9, have an empathy, now, for the military personnel.  They spent time with me talking to one of the soldiers who so enjoyed the attention of the children, that he gave them patches right off of his uniform! 

Amy Wilson, PTWA president, was able to say a few words thanking both the warriors and their families.  She awarded some raffle prizes including a putter and a driver and then presented the hospital with PTWA donated Wii gaming systems and games to aid in their rehab as well as provide something they could use with their families to play games together.  While it was our intention to attend this event to honor these brave men and women, I think we all left the event feeling honored and privileged to have been able to meet these incredible individuals and the families who support them.