Photo By Senior Airman Chanhda Ly | Senior Airman Eric Adamczyk of the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron, East Granby,...... read more read more
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Mariachi music played to signal a shotgun scramble and then a plethora of golf carts took off to their respective holes.
Each cart was filled with eager players ready to win a golf tournament, but this was more than just the typical game of golf.
On June 1, 2019, members of the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron and the 103rd Operations Group participated in Bogies for the Brave’s annual golf tournament at Hunter Golf Club in Meriden, Connecticut.
Bogies for the Brave is a non-profit organization of volunteers, whose mission is to provide financial assistance to Post-9/11 veterans, their families, and the children of fallen service members. The organization hosts various events throughout the year and 100 percent of event proceeds go to beneficiaries.
“The tournament is unique in two ways,” said Robert Mercer, President of Bogies for the Brave. “One, we have sponsors who treat active duty military to a free round of golf, and we are also unique in that any money donated to us goes directly to veterans. One hundred percent of proceed goes to where we say it goes.”
Mercer, an avid golfer, is also a veteran of the Connecticut Air National Guard. He wanted to host an event that would benefit veterans, while welcoming participation from current members of the military.
Staff Sgt. David DuMouchel of the 103rd Civil Engineer Squadron has participated in the event since its inception.
“It’s nice to show veterans that came before us that we are still supporting them for all the work they did,” said DuMouchel. “They seem to appreciate when we show up in uniform, and it’s an honor for us to be here.”
The 18-hole tournament has grown immensely in the past five years. The tournament has grown from 70 participants to 140. They were able to sell out this year’s tournament within a month.
“Just to see the actual amount of people that are trying to join us and the outcry they had that they enjoy it and they want more out it really helps build our other events,” said Thomas Ferreira, Vice President of Bogies for the Brave and U.S. Navy veteran. “We would like to move the tournament to a bigger venue to raise more the cause.”
With the proceeds from last year’s tournament, Bogies for the Brave was able to provide a service dog to a veteran in need.
“One thing that I would like everyone to know is that we could all do more,” said Ferreira.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2019 13:09 |
| Story ID: | 327873 |
| Location: | MERIDEN, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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