Gear Up For Military Appreciation Day
- Author: Vivianne Lapointe
- Posted on: Friday October 16, 2009 at 9:00 AM
- Filed under: exclusive, golf, tpc summerlin, military appreciation day
While JT Shriners is indeed part of the PGA tournament, JT Shriners championship is unique from other tournaments on the circuit - and it is not simply because there is a singer who you may have heard of named Justin Timberlake involved.
One example? JT Shriners Tournament salutes and pays homage to the US military and armed forces throughout the week.
First off, there's the military chalet below:
Thus, as Justin Anthony Kim, Sal Masekela and David Bomar played along with the other golfers during the Pro-Am on Wednesday afternoon, all players and spectators had the opportunity to stop by, chat with the Air Force and view the sample fighter planes and helicopters.
And we ain't just taking about toy planes. The plane pictured here is a MQ-1 Predator that flies from the Nellis Air Force Base, located right outside of Las Vegas, straight to Afghanistan. It's in fact an 'aircraft unmanned aerial vehical...'
In less technical terms, it means that it operates without a human crew. If you wanna get geeky about it, check out the machine on Wikipedia, it's not something to mess around with! (When was the last time you went to a golf course and saw a unmanned aerial vehical on display, huh?)
In addition, past & present members of the military and their families are given free admission to the competition and on Saturday, the TPC Summerlin is hosting Military Appreciation Day to honor members of the armed forced.
On the menu: fun activities such as a hole-in-one contest, military education and even a video games corner for kids to hang out while their folks are taking a swing.
Lastly, the actual event is aided by military volunteers, who are also cordial and friendly (see the military representatives taking with spectators above.)
"A lot of us took vacation time to be here" said one of two officers on duty. The soldiers confided that the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is reputed to be "one of the best weeks of the year," for them. Between security & operations, over 800 militaries showed up to work as volunteers throughout the tournament. "Anything we can do to help."
That said, if you were planning to stop by the JT Shriners tournament this Saturday, remember to salute the hard-working military while you are there!
For more info on Military Appreciation Day, log on to JTShrinersOpen.com
Photos by Faith-Ann Young
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COMMENTS
“ Thank You to all the men and women serving over seas and who are serving in our military!!! We truly appreciate you. And to my husband thank you for protecting our country!! ”
“ everything thats close to my heart all in one place - so grateful for all those people that sacrifice so much of their lives for our freedom - everything close to my heart right there - very cool - that includes you - thanks justin - ”
