Cobra Staff member and Golf Entertainer/World Long Drive Champion, Dan Boever, is visiting Iraq on a goodwill tour to meet with the troops. This is the first in a series of updates from his travels.
Tuesday November 18, 2009
My name is Dan Boever. For the past twelve years I have traveled the country doing golf exhibitions. In 2008 I won the RE/MAX Sr. World Long Drive Championship for “really” old people, ages 45 and up. I am extremely excited about having this opportunity to do a blog during my upcoming trip to visit our troops.
As I finalize my preparations to take part in “Operation Fore The Troops” I am again reminded of the amazing sacrifice our troops make to be away from their families. I will be gone for ten lousy days and I can’t imagine all the things I will miss out on during that time period. Ten days? When you compare that to a year of duty or two or possibly more, I am embarrassed to even see the words on paper.
It was about a month ago that I first learned through good friend and two- time USO participant Art Sellinger that I may have the chance to go on a trip to visit our troops in the Persian Gulf. I would not get confirmation until about two weeks later. It was during that time that I shared the news with my wife of almost 20 years, as well as our 17 year old daughter and 15 year old son. It would be a ten day trip away over the Thanksgiving holidays from November 19-29th.
From the first moment I mentioned the news to my family they were adamant that I should go. They all have a great heart for others and they never even considered the possibility of saying no. Being on the road 150-175 days a year with my golf entertainment business I knew that ten days off in a distant land was something I really had to think about. As much as I love what I do I detest being away for any amount of time. That sweet little 17 and 15 year old were 5 and 3 “just last week” it seems.
Even as I thought of time lost with my family I knew in my heart I had to go. I remembered a few moments I shared with actor Gary Sinise. He visited with me about some of his many trips overseas and he told me that if I ever had the chance to go I needed to do it. He, like Art, said it would be a life changing experience.
How many countless troops will I meet that have their own sweet babies waiting for them back home?
Ten days… I don’t believe I could give 365 of them. What an amazing sacrifice.