… every October usually around the first of the month I get a call from Butch (Harmon) and as he always does in his own way he says “Ricky Boy the Heroes are coming to town”. Harmon’s Heroes are wounded soldiers that embrace the game of golf. They are challenged to get better physically and mentally from their injuries suffered in recent months while they heal and adjust to a new way of life at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. so they will be in the running to be chosen from the wounded soldiers that love the game of golf to be a part of the wonderful 3 days Butch hosts them here in Las Vegas. Got a feeling they all will get the chance if I know Butch..

Most have some kind of loss of limb and playing golf with everything in place is hard enough as some of us certainly know… much less with one leg, one eye or even one arm. For three days the soldiers are schooled at the Butch Harmon School of Golf on how they can adjust their swing to compensate for their loss. Being around these fine young men for three straight days is such an uplifting experience for all of us that are involved with this wonderful event it’s hard to put into words. They never ask “why me?”, or bitch because they have to put on special leg just to swing a golf club club, never complain about being injured and truth be known would go back in a New York minute and continue to fight like hell for our freedom… They are so thankful for the opportunity to come out and get away from the hospital if only for three days. Troops First Foundation and it’s main man Rick Kell in conjuction with Butch and the Harmon’s Heroes is an amazing support group that help Soldiers go back over to the place where their injuries occured just so they can come back home on their own terms for some closure.

It is such a pleasure to have been asked by Butch from the beginning to help create Memories in the form of photos and Albums customized for each Harmon’s Hero. I get some wonderful notes of thanks from Butch and the Heroes but honsetly I’m probably getting as much or more out of this as they are. Of all the hundreds of thousands of photos I’ve taken…capturing a Memory for a soldier and of my grandson Miles stand alone…

I have recently teamed up with my friend John (Manni) and his main man Matt Preuss to help with his new Foundation “Operation Front Door” which will help train our soldiers for employment along with providing free housing ownership for our Soldier’s tansitition into civilian life. This is another incredible endevour that has already help put approx 1,000 soldiers to work and 1,000s more will benefit from Operation Front Door not only with housing but with jobs as well…

God Bless our Troops….then and now

My Heros Have always been Soldiers…