SWING FOR A SOLDIER | 2023

Since 2011, the PTSD Foundation has sought and supported local organizations that offer alternative therapies which help soldiers, first responders and their families readjust to life back home. They are committed to finding answers and programs for the long journey of healing from the invisible wounds of war and service-related injuries.

The Permission To Start Dreaming Foundation began in 2011 with Leslie Mayne. Her son, United States Army Private First Class Kyle Marshall Farr, of the 240th Quartermaster Unit SSA Platoon which supported the 169th Support Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom was an infantryman. When he returned home, he was treated for Post Traumatic Stress and diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury at both Walter Reed and Perry Point VA Hospital in Maryland. At 27, Kyle’s life was cut short. He died from an overdose in a Baltimore hotel room on March 7, 2009, the first night of being discharged from his treatment. He was laid to rest in Hamilton, VA. where he spent most of his childhood. Born out of tremendous grief and a determined desire to help other veterans, his mother, Leslie, along with her family and friends determined to honor Kyle’s memory and service to his country by seeking better outcomes for other returning veterans.

The Swing for A Soldier in Gig Harbor, WA. was created in 2011 and the beginning of a movement that is bringing hope and healing for our veterans, helping them make peace with their past and develop programs that foster “post traumatic growth.” On Monday July 17th 2023, the PTSD Foundation put on their Swing for a Soldier event at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Washington where we had the honor of being one of their many sponsors and support this tremendous cause.

This event was one of the largest, with the parking lot at full capacity, cars were parking almost a quarter of a mile away from the club entrance. Shuttling golfers and vendors to the starting line, most of the club’s employees were hard at work making sure everyone made it to the opening ceremonies. With the annual skydiving show accompanied by the a cappella national anthem, the opening ceremonies are the most exciting part of the entire tournament. Veteran skydivers made their way down to Earth in a spectacle of red white and blue fog trailing behind them. Once the sky divers landed, the golfers made their way to their assigned golf carts in a frenzy of laughter, cheers and of course, beers. With two different courses at play, they went off to their starting hole in a precession of wheels, high fives from the PTSD dream team and board members.

Some of TRUE’s team even had parts of their booths on their cart (one even holding a table on top). And with a shotgun start, the players were on their way! Every sponsor was present on a hole and had something fun planned for the golfers of the day. A KIA for a hole in one, tacos on another and an air canon to tee off with two of the Seattle Seahawks Cheerleaders. Even some celebrities and athletes made an appearance-with Walter Jones being the most memorable.  There may have been a few lost balls and a lot of booze but one thing was for sure—every single person was there supporting this amazing cause with people like Kyle in mind and having an absolute blast doing it.  

Learn how to get involved in next year's tournament by following both TRUE and the PTSD foundation on Instagram, where you will be joining the thousands of compassionate allies and citizens who want to offer hope and healing for those who serve our nation and our community.