National Veterans TEE Tournament by Dan Bruneau – VHA Communications On September 8-11, 2014 in Iowa City, IA the National Veterans Tee Tournament was held. Previously a local program, this new national event provides legally blind and eligible disabled Veterans an opportunity to develop new skills and strengthen their self-esteem through adaptive golf and bowling events. Each year, the TEE Tournament uses a therapeutic format to promote rehabilitation, fellowship and camaraderie among participants. The event provides eligible Veterans with an opportunity to participate in therapeutic adaptive sporting activities which demonstrate that having a visual or physical disability need not be an obstacle to an active, rewarding life. Army Veteran Chuck Zimmer laughs as he tells you almost to the hour how long his tour in Vietnam lasted. In addition to the inherently memorable nature of serving in combat, that time was also when Zimmer began to lose his vision. Zimmer, who lives in Port Huron, MI with his wife Judy, first noticed the problem on night missions. The Army took him off the front lines and he began carrying the radio for his unit. After he returned to his civilian life, during which he worked 30 years as a skilled tradesman for General Motors, his loss of peripheral vision gradually worsened. As a result, for about 15 years he stayed away from the golf game he had enjoyed and played well. Thanks to VA, the National TEE Tournament and the Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere (GIVE) foundation he’s been able to resume playing. He acknowledged he had to make some adjustments to hit the ball when he returned to golf but he’s grateful to have the game back in his life along with the opportunities for camaraderie with his fellow Veterans. “I have an implant in my left eye and now I can see OK with that,” Zimmer explained. “The prosthetics today are amazing. I’m happy to be a guinea pig for new things and I’m an advocate for anything that will help Veterans.” He recalled that for years he stayed away from VA. His daughter, an Air Force Veteran, learned her father’s decades-old claim based on hearing loss had never been processed or closed. Once it was rediscovered and approved, Zimmer began getting his care at the Detroit VA Medical Center. Active in his community, Zimmer volunteers for a number of organizations and is a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America and Disabled American Veterans. Those activities afford him the chance to encourage other Veterans to participate in activities such as the TEE Tournament. “Self-confidence is a big part of it,” said Zimmer, who is participating in his seventh TEE Tournament. “I enjoy working with others to get them interested. Then many of them get competitive and they end up beating me!” Zimmer offers high praise for the organizers and volunteers who support the TEE Tournament. He said it means a great deal to him and others that people are “there for all Veterans.” “I really hope they continue the tournament,” he said. “It’s helped me get back to enjoying the reality of my life. I know it’s helped a lot of Veterans get out of the house and do something—to realize that they still have the freedom to do a lot with their lives.” For more information go to: va.gov/opa/speceven/tee/index.asp
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 16:20:44 +0000
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