Pfc. Melissa M. Telaak, from 1st Platoon, 164th Military Police Company, pulls convoy security duty in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Lt. Col. Wayne Yoshioka.

Mortar men with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-8, fire white star parachutes into the night sky over Fallujah, Iraq, July 4. Unable to take a break from operations in the city, the battalion celebrated the holiday with a mortar powered fireworks show of illumination for the Marines. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr.

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Received via email:

...I must start off by saying that Jason Pepper is everything that he built up to be - a cheerful outgoing young man with a very good outlook on life.

For those of you who are not aware of the particulars surrounding yesterday's adventure, here is the long and sordid tale of woe and suffering.

On July 3, J---- M---- sent to me an e-mail telling me that read in part:
"... Sgt. Jason XXXXX, was blinded while overseas and is now at the Pine School for the Blind in Chicago. The recipient of 4 purple hearts, Jason has been there about a month and is doing very well - he's probably looking at another 2-3 months in the school. Although he's really enjoying the classes, he's terribly lonely in the evenings and weekends, being without his wife, Heather and their 2 year old daughter Naomi. He loves to golf and is very personable - would anyone in Chicago area be able to arrange some outings for him or visits? If you would be able to do this please email me at soldiersangels@gmail.com for more information."

A few days before I had received an invitation from Teng Associates, a Chicago based engineering consulting firm, to a golf outing at Cog Hill Golf course in Lemont, Illinois. (Cog Hill was where the Western Open was played this year during the 4th of July week end. And is a Midwestern golf Mecca for those of us who can't afford to go to Hilton Head or Pebble Beach.) So I thought - consultant paying for the golf, perhaps they may be willing to allow a guest with no business relationship come to the outing.

I sent an e-mail to address listed in the message asking if Jason was willing to come out and play for a day. I got a response that he was too busy with school.

Over the next several days and many e-mails, I found out that it wasn't the "Pines" School for the Blind but the "Hines" School for the Blind at the Hines VA Hospital in Maywood. (I grew up 2.5 miles from the hospital.) I also found out Jason's last name. I sent an e-mail to the "general ask a question" e-mail address that basically said that if Jason was at the hospital to please pass the message about playing golf on July 26th.

In the meantime of trying to find Jason, I was trying to find out if the consultant was willing to allow Jason to play at the outing, find out if Cog Hill had instructors who had taught blind golfers etc. On the 7th, I hadn't hung up the phone more than 15 seconds, when the phone rang and it was Jason - the internet phantom. I was so stunned that I was speechless. After trying to untie my tongue, I asked Jason if he wanted to play golf. Jason said that yes he wanted to play and was agreeable to a lesson in the morning.

Trying to find someone to teach golf to a person with disabilities is a challenge. Everybody I spoke to was agreeable up until I told them that Jason was blind. Then it was "um um call over there and talk to this guy...." I got fed up with the calling was not getting responses, so I called the driving range manager at Cog Hill and asked who were the best instructors and who he would use for his own lessons. I was told Lee Miller. So I marked a 1 hour lesson and asked that Mr. Miller call me. When Mr. Miller called me, he was not put off at the thought of giving Jason a lesson. He seemed enthusiastic about the lesson and couldn't understand the run around that I had been getting.

Here were the hoops thus far - Find Jason. Get consultant to agree to Jason as guest. Jason agree to play. Find instructor. Each of them had been duly and successful checked off.

Please note the e-mail addresses above - Denise VAN K---- and Denise von W----. (I sorry ladies, it got confusing.) Denise Von K... is Jason's Hines Blind Rehab coordinator. Denise von W... is his mother in law. I was getting e-mail from both of them.

Denise von W... sent an e-mail that the American Armed Forces Network was going to send a reporter to do a story (Shoot me now and get it over with, because I am deathly camera and publicity shy). To make the short story shorter, I agreed to the press and notified the consultant (They agreed too). Yippee Skippy - they didn't show up.

I met Jason and Denise Van K.... at Hines yesterday morning shortly before 8:30. Jason took me on a tour to the new facility. It seems to be a very nice place with a lot to offer. I had to ask the obvious question - "Where was the Lonely Heart's Club Band?" I am sure that ever since Jason was promoted to sergeant, he got that question in one form or an other. After about a second of thought, he said they were in Germany getting ready for an other deployment to Iraq.

When we arrived at Cog Hill, we went into the main club house to find out where we were to meet Lee Miller and rent golf clubs for Jason. The people at the front desk really didn't know quite what to do with us. Here's the picture - fancy club house with the brass chandeliers and dark polished wood work and a blind guy escorted by a guy who thought nothing of the blind guy playing golf - walking up the front steps, down the hall to the front desk. They were polite and helpful was they sorted out where we were to go. In an effort to ease their fumbling tongues, they gave us the keys to a golf cart early. It wasn't that they were rude, they just didn't know what to do or think. The thought of a blind golfer was more than a little mind boggling for almost everybody I spoke too.

We got to the driving range and met Lee Miller. For anybody else, there would have been a fee for the balls using during a lesson. So first pleasant shock of the morning - The driving range manager waived the ball fee (I am sure unbeknownst to the owners.). Lee Miller gave Jason a 1 1/2 hour lesson. (I wish I was fast enough with the camera for some of the shots I missed were very telling - Lee emphasizing lesson points as though Jason could see, standing 2' away and looking straight into Jason's face. I got some but missed many others.)

At noon, when the lesson stopped, I started to reach for my wallet to pay for the lesson. Lee waved his hand as though to say - no need to pay, we're cool. That was the most pleasant shock of the morning. Lee gave up a good part of his morning to get to the golf course and teach a lesson to Jason for free. I do not know if Jason knew it or not. I have no idea of their motivation. I didn't ask. I think that Lee is a genuinely nice person who felt honored to teach a lesson to Jason.

While we were eating lunch in the bar, our host appeared and introduced themselves. Kim (I don't remember his last name) is an Asian gentleman in his mid 60's. He had organized the outing for the past 20 years before turning it over to a younger man in the company. Kim said not to worry about anything, they would take care of us.

We teed off at 2:00, duffers that we were, and couldn't hit a straight ball if our lives depended on it. We hit more than a few mulligans (extra balls that don't count towards the score.) Lost a bunch too, but who cares - there are more at Walmart. As I told Jason, we were playing army golf - hit to the left, hit to the right, left right left right. I also told Jason that I had yet to either ride or drive a complete round of 18 holes and I wasn't about to break that streak - he was going to drive the cart. And he did. He drove at about half speed. I would tell him, little left, straight, little right, what ever it took to get where we were to go. He didn't hit anything. He can drive my golf cart anytime he wants.

When we were on the 8th fairway, Kim decided that he wanted to get a group picture of the 4 of us. Since we hadn't gone very fair from the tee, we waved at the group behind us to come take our picture. As they went by, Kim called one of the other golfers over and introduced to Jason as an Army Veteran. It was brought up that Jason as blind and playing golf and that was the reason we were going a little slow. The man total disbelieved that Jason was blind and playing golf. He was certain that we were playing a joke. He went off the deep end, when I chimed up that he was also driving the golf cart. Total Denial - blind guy playing golf and driving a cart - impossible! As we drove past him with Jason at the wheel, he became a believer and said that he had to have his picture taken with Jason.

Once we got off the 8th green, a course ranger came up and told us that we had to let some of the other groups behind us play through or start to skip holes. That they were mad because of the slow play, they paid their money and wanted to get their 18 in before it got too bad. (It was a light rain.) Kim went off on the poor guy -- we had paid our green fee and we could play as slow as we wanted and if anybody wanted to play through they had to talk to him (Kim) otherwise too bad. I want to talk to Frank (golf course owner) -- We skipped the 9th hole.

At the 10th tee, Jason won the driver toss when the golf club slipped out of his hands. I was watching the ball dribble between his legs and didn't see where the golf club went. All any of us heard that the clatter of the club hitting the woods. It is one thing to go into the woods and find a bunch of balls, but finding a Ping driver would have made anybody's summer. We finally found the club and called it quits. As we were driving back to the club house, it started to lightning and thunder.

After dinner, I took Jason back to Hines.

So we got to play 8 holes, got rained out and had some fun. I know I did. I hope Jason did too. It was a delightful day with some very nice people.

Denise von W---- please tell the Lonely Hearts Club Band (Jason's unit) that he is well and is playing while they are working. If Jason gets back in time, they ought to haul him out to the base and put him to work. He would love it, particularly if he got to drive.

Sincerely,
William R-------

William,
Great story. I'd love to see some of those pictures (and I promise I won't post them without your permission).

Please pass along my thanks to Jason for being the Hero that he is, and my best wishes for his continued recovery.

And to the "Lonely Hearts Club Band" - thanks to you all for all you do - take care and stay safe over there in the Land of Sand.

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- Senior Airman Othelia Richards observes a third-country national truck convoy delivering concrete mix here. Third country nationals and local nationals make up a large percentage of the workforce for construction projects and day-to-day jobs around the base. An escort's job is to monitor workers and provide security. For many escorts, the job requires long days in the scorching sun with weapon in hand and a careful eye watching for suspicious activities. Airman Richards is assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

PERSIAN GULF — Arabic translator Ali Badie translates for coalition forces and local fishermen in the Khawr Abd Allah waterway in the Persian Gulf, July 20, 2005. Coalition forces are working with Iraqi patrol vessels in an effort to jointly thwart the use of the waterway for illegal activity as part of maritime security operations. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Ansarov