On the morning of March 17, 2013 I woke up at 3:00am, which was a far cry from my normal wake up time now that I am a civilian. In the military we commonly referred to early times like this as "Zero Dark Thirty," which of course was recently made more common by the movie. 

I arrived in Las Cruces, New Mexico two days prior the 24th annual Bataan Memorial Death March. I was fortunate to be with a group of other wounded veterans who arrived from Walter Reed and Brooke Army Medical Center. We were there thanks to Disabled Sports-USA and team Warfighter Sports. It is always great to be able to meet other wounded service members and to hear their stories of courage and sacrifice. Almost all of the others had been wounded in the last two years and I thought it was absolutely remarkable that they were about to undergo this difficult physical challenge.

There was a very touching ceremony prior to the start that honored all of those who were a part of the Bataan Death March. Some of the survivors were sitting near the start line and we were able to stop and shake their hands as we went by. It was an honor to meet some of these men who went through things that seem unimaginable to me. 

Prior to the start of the race, I did not know who I was going to walk with but I met up with a young single amputee from our group whose name was Reid at the start line. He had been wounded in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and was still a patient at Walter Reed. He was marching with his therapist Kerrie. Reid and Kerrie made great company. The first 8 miles were not too bad at all. I was not familiar with the course but I kept hearing about the sand pit and walking around a mountain. It was on the 8th mile that we started our ascent. 

Reid was still going strong and Kerrie and I were falling back a little more; having to jog every once in a while to catch back up to him.  As we passed mile marker 13, I knew that my body would not allow me to continue at this pace. I bid farewell to Reid and Kerrie and they kept on trucking.

As I hit mile 20, I began to wonder how far up ahead Reid and Kerrie were. I was absolutely impressed with Reid's determination to finish this march as fast as he could. I am sure there are a lot of people who look at some of our wounded as being unable to do some things. Let me tell you, they are only limited by their focus and determination and can still do anything that they put their mind to.  This is evident by what Reid was doing and what countless other wounded veterans have done and overcome since their injuries.

I made the biggest mistake of the day right after I crossed the finish line by sitting down at the rest area. I could barely get back up and my legs just did not want to move anymore. The pain was temporary but the feeling of accomplishment will be with me forever. I found out later that evening that Reid and Kerrie finished around the 6 hours and 15 minute mark. He was flying! 

As I recovered at home, I was thankful for the others that I was able to meet at Bataan. There are a lot of great men and women who have been wounded that are trying to continue their military careers. Their selflessness continues to inspire me on a daily basis. 

Tee it up for the Troops Board Member, Michael Moore, presented a $30,000 check this week to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund President, Dave Winters, on the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York.

Over 625,000 service members, nearly one in seven who served, are living with the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

"On behalf of Tee it up for the Troops events across the country, we are honored to make this donation to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to support the Make It Visible campaign," said Tee it up for the Troops President & CEO, Paul Anderson. "TBI and PTS are critical issues facing our returning veterans and their families and we must do what we can to help heal these invisible wounds of war."

Due to the generosity of thousands of great Americans who stepped up to the Tee to say thank you to our men and women in the Armed Forces, our Veterans and their families, Tee it up for the Troops was able to raise $1.3 million in 2012 to help support our American Heroes. 

IFHF is one of four primary non-profits Tee it up for the Troops supports with money raised from golf tournaments and special fundraising events across the country.  Since 2005, Tee it up for the Troops has been able to donate more than $250,000 to the IFHF.

About the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund:

In January 2007 the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) completed construction of the Center for the Intrepid, a $55 million world-class state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Center serves military personnel who have been catastrophically disabled in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans severely injured in other operations and in the normal performance of their duties. The 60,000 square foot Center provides ample space and facilities for the rehabilitation needs of the patients and their caregivers. It includes modern physical rehabilitation equipment and extensive indoor and outdoor facilities.

In 2010, the IFHF built the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, Maryland. They are currently raising money through the "Make It Visible" campaign to build nine satellite rehabilitation centers across the country. These state-of-the-art facilities will provide our returning veterans suffering from TBI and PTS the highest quality care our nation has to offer.

NICoE Satellite Centers will provide access to the quality care and support needed to treat service members suffering from TBI and PTS and will serve as satellites of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, MD.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund serves United States military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation, and their families.  Supporting these heroes helps repay the debt all Americans owe them for the sacrifices they have made in service to our nation.  They are, in the words of our founder, the late Zachary Fisher, "our nation's greatest national resource," and they deserve all the help that our nation can provide.