Soldiers stationed in Afghanistan built a mini golf course and driving range
By Nicole Weddington
The Flint Journal
FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — U.S. Army medevac helicopter pilots stationed in a mountainous area of Afghanistan soon will be working off their stress whacking golf balls donated by Flint Township’s King Par Golf.
Brendan “B.J.” Coleman has played golf his entire life and plays as much as he can when he comes back to the States. The 33-year-old Flushing High School graduate is a medevac helicopter pilot in the Army. Currently serving in Afghanistan, the chief warrant officer 2 and his unit enjoy hitting golf balls in their spare time.
“One of the first things that B.J. asked me to send him when he went to Afghanistan was golf balls,” laughed Coleman’s mother, Andi Willman.
“We like to hit golf balls because it is fun and relieves stress. We have only been able to hit a few balls because we only have a few and some get lost. Some of us play golf back home, but some have never swung a club. It’s good to share new skills and show others another way to pass the time on those slow days,” said Coleman in an email to The Flint Journal.
This is Coleman’s 10th year in the Army and second year as a medevac pilot. “He is making a career out of it,” said Willman, 61, of Flushing. He is currently completing his degree in aeronautics and has an 11-year-old daughter who he visits as often as possible when he is at his base in the states.
“They built a mini course and a driving range (in Afghanistan). But they are running out of golf balls,” said David Stanley, Coleman’s stepfather. He said he was talking to Coleman one night when he mentioned that he needed some more golf balls. “He said they like to hit at things that don’t shoot back,” laughed Stanley.
“I think it’s kind of like when you played baseball when you were a kid. If you hit the ball into the neighbor’s yard and it was a mean neighbor, you don’t get the ball back. I think it’s like that with hitting golf balls in Afghanistan. If the ball goes outside of the walls of the base, they don’t get it. So I’m guessing that’s why they go through a lot of golf balls in the desert,” said Willman.
“We hit into an open area that is still on the forward operating base. Part of our “range” is not easy to get to and those that are on duty shouldn’t go out that way,” said Coleman. “We stay in an area where we can quickly react if we get a medevac call.”
Stanley, 55, of Flint Township, decided to ask one of his connections at King Par Golf if they would donate some used balls to his stepson. He was hoping to get a couple hundred balls that he knew the company discarded at the end of each season.
Jeff Gerber, director of retail operations at King Par in Flushing, was happy to help. “What a great cause. I am a golfer and an enthusiast and if I had to be overseas away from what I love, it would be difficult,” said Gerber, 49, of Fenton.
But Stanley and Willman didn’t imagine that the company would respond the way it did — with a donation of 1,500 brand-new fluorescent-yellow golf balls manufactured by King Par, a value of $900.
“Well, those definitely won’t get lost in the sand,” laughed Stanley, when he saw the color of the balls.
“It’s a great opportunity to be a part of what they’re up to over there. It’s a little bit of home, having some golf balls to hit. There’s no replacement for golf balls. It’s not like you could hit something else,” laughed Gerber.
“There aren’t a lot of things that they can do and feel safe. So that’s one thing that they can do,” said Willman.
Gerber guessed it would cost approximately $500 to ship such a large quantity of balls. However, Willman will be working with King Par as well as no-weight-limit shipping services to find the most cost-effective way to ship the balls.
“This is the time of year that people forget about (the troops), after Christmas and New Year’s. I think that it’s important that they get our support this time of year. I hope that people will read this article and it will remind them to take a moment and say a prayer for our troops,” said Willman.
