Mark’s Kaddy Korner

Simpson: Honored to go on ‘trip of a lifetime’ to Iraq Courtesy of Tim Simpson Champions Tour players Corey Pavin, Tim Simpson and Tom Watson all spent Thanksgiving in Iraq. Dec. 5, 2009
By Tim Simpson, Special to PGATOUR.COM
Tim Simpson, Tom Watson, Corey Pavin and long-drive hitters Dan Boever and Bobby Wilson spent Thanksgiving in Iraq for “Operation Fore the Troops.” Simpson wrote this blog for PGATOUR.COM to share his experiences from the trip:

Early on Thanksgiving morning in Bagdad, I wished three young army soldiers “Happy Thanksgiving” in the mess hall. After shaking hands with them, one young soldier looked me in the eyes and asked, “Is it really Thanksgiving, sir?” What amazed me was that the young man was so focused on doing his job to the best of his ability every day, he had completely lost track and hadn’t remembered about the holiday. Although professional golfers are the same way while playing in tournaments, I still found it amazing.

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Simpson blogs from Iraq
We had Thanksgiving lunch with the troops at Camp Striker before our C-130 flight to base Al Asad Airfield in western Iraq. Al Asad is very remote and sits in the middle of the desert. The temperatures routinely reach 130 degrees in the summer. Although the base is modern and well preserved since the U.S. overtook it early in the war, the shear remoteness of it stood in stark contrast to Bagdad, where Saddam Hussein had built gaudy palaces and government buildings that reflected both his power and ego.

Al Asad has been primarily for Marines, though it now houses soldiers from all four of our armed forces since many Marines are either deploying to Afghanistan or returning home, if even for a short time. After having our Thanksgiving dinner with our troops, we did a meet and greet, where we signed autographs and took pictures. I was talking to one of our amazing F-18 fighter pilots, Matt “Spice” Spicer, when he made an announcement. Matt thanked us all for giving up our Thanksgiving with our families to visit our troops. He then called all five of us up and presented each of us with an American flag that he had flown in the cockpit of his jet in an actual combat mission. Of all the gifts we received from the Base Commanders and Generals, this really stood out to me as something special. I got choked up after receiving this incredible gift from yet another one of our countless heroes.

The next day we toured the base and did another exhibition for the troops. Several soldiers invited us to check out the par-3 golf hole that they had constructed themselves. The makeshift tee was nothing more than desert rocks and hard packed sand. You hit off of a shear cliff to a green that was a huge dugout hole in the ground. It had obviously been dug out by a very large piece of equipment. The hole was approximately 120 yards long, and its pins were two old Humvee tires. If you can picture a slightly longer version of No. 7 at Pebble Beach — only the green is a huge pit in the middle of the desert instead of the ocean — you will get a visual. The soldiers said that they would hit all their balls and then drive down to the makeshift green and retrieve them and hit them again. We were all impressed by their ingenuity.

The next day we had our final meal with the troops in Iraq before catching a flight back to Kuwait, and our connection for the long trip back to the U.S. Throughout our trip we were privileged to meet so many incredible Americans. From the baby-faced young soldiers to our most powerful Commanding Generals, we all felt both honored and privileged to be Americans. For Rick Kell, the head of “Troops First”, I would like to thank him for organizing this trip and the work he does on a daily basis for our Wounded Warriors. You are a true unsung hero, Rick, which is the way you so unselfishly want it.

To my other four compatriots: Tom Watson, Corey Pavin, and long drivers Dan Boever and Bobby Wilson, I would like to thank you for both your friendship as well as your dedication to our incredible troops.

In closing I would like to say that I was both privileged and honored to go on the trip of a lifetime. And although I love my family dearly, this was by far the greatest Thanksgiving of my life. To all my fellow Americans, I would like to say that we all can sleep well knowing we have the best of the best protecting our great country.

May God bless our troops and the U.S.
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