The Kent State women's golf program has teamed up with the Folds of Honor Military Tribute Program for the second-straight season.
The program provides the opportunity for collegiate golf teams to honor a fallen or severely wounded American soldier by selecting a student-athlete to carry a golf bag displaying the name, rank, and branch of service of the soldier being honored throughout the year.
This season, the Flashes will honor and pay tribute by carrying a marked golf bag to the late SPC James Michael Richardson, a U.S. Army specialist who served in Iraq. Richardson suffered from PTSD and tragically took his life last December.
"This year, carrying SPC James Michael Richardson's bag will truly be an honor for our team," said head coach Lisa Strom. "Many of our severely wounded soldiers return home with physical injuries, but much more return with injuries we may never see. Unfortunately, we lost Michael to his fight with PTSD. Mental health is a topic we discuss within our team quite often, and we are able to provide the resources they need. We look to shine a light on the growing need within our country to provide the resources our soldiers need as they return to life after service to our country."
"Michael's mom, Loretta Young, is a dear friend of mine who has supported our involvement with the Folds of Honor for several years," added Strom. "By carrying a bag honoring her son, Michael will be honored for his service to our country. His legacy and his son, Trystan, will always know his dad was a hero.
The Folds of Honor Military Tribute Program was founded in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, a former F-16 pilot who served three tours in Iraq. This foundation was started to give back to spouses, children, and loved ones of soldiers killed or disabled while serving our country. More than 60,000 soldiers have been killed or disabled in the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of January 2015, one-million plus dependents have been adversely affected by multiple deployments and 90 percent do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance. Folds of Honor seeks to meet this need by providing annual educational scholarships to the military families of those who have been killed or disabled while on active duty.
To show support of the Folds of Honor, we are auctioning off Michael's bag, the very one we carried during our season. All proceeds go directly to the Folds of Honor Foundation. The mission of the Folds of Honor is to "honor their sacrifice and educate their legacy." We hope you'll join us on this mission as well.
