JOINT BASE CHARELSTON, S.C. –
On the morning of Sept. 18, the weather was cool and flawlessly conducive to a day on the greens at Wrenwoods Golf Course at Joint Base Charleston. This day however, was no ordinary trip to the fairways, evidenced by the sight of dozens of Prisoner of War/Missing in Action golf shirts and the unique flags at each green bearing the symbols of our fallen and missing heroes.
The POW/MIA Golf Tournament was the first for Joint base Charleston and plans are to hold the event annually. Organized by Master Sgts. Harold Bordeaux, James Kasch and Christopher Cobb, the tournament was held in honor of visiting POW/MIA members and their families.
"It was challenging due to the volume of tournaments leading up to our event, but thankfully we were able to pull off everything very well," said Bordeaux.
During the tournament, more than 80 participants, raised $600. The event was the first of what is planned to be a yearly tradition, a tradition that honors the men and women who have made costly sacrifices.
Following the tournament, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Hanton spoke at the POW/MIA luncheon at the Charleston Club. Hanton was taken as a prisoner in North Vietnam after his F-4 Phantom was shot down during a search and rescue mission June 27, 1972, and held until his release on March 28, 1973.
As we stand privileged on the greens and see the waiving POW/MIA flags, we should be humbly reminded to reflect on those sacrifices.