Second swing at life

“It’s all in the hips, just like in the Adam Sandler movie,” Sgt. Andrew Berry told his son, Gionni, 8, who laughed at the joke before swinging his golf club in their backyard.

Berry spends many afternoons standing behind his two sons, the oldest of four, making sure they are bending their knees and keeping their eyes on the ball.

Even though he starred in all three at Colonial High School, Berry can’t play football, basketball or baseball anymore.

But he can golf.

His sacrifice

The former Army sniper was shot twice and was hit by eight IED explosions during several tours in Iraq.

The explosions caused traumatic brain injury, which has progressed to deafness in his right ear, blindness in his right eye, massive headaches and prescriptions to 15 medications, which Berry avoids taking when possible.

“I’ll be screaming in pain before I take a pain pill,” he said swigging bottled water. His meds give him dry mouth but make soda taste horrible. “I have four boys who I’m a role model for.”

He wears a brace up to his right thigh, a lingering reminder of a leg that was crushed at the ankle after he fell 14 feet, saving himself and another soldier from a burning tank that had rolled over an IED during his last tour in Iraq in 2009—10 days after he reenlisted with a goal to become an Army Ranger. Some days he needs a wheelchair, other days his walking stick – a hand-carved gift from his wife, Rebecca – will suffice.

When he got home to East Orlando, the deaths of so many of his friends overseas stirred so much anger inside him that it boiled over onto his wife and kids.

“I felt useless. I didn’t think I was smart enough to go to school and I didn’t want to do paperwork (in the Army). I was in a bad place,” he said. “But I finally manned up and got help.”

He sought help from the VA and started taking criminal justice classes at University of Phoenix. Earlier this year, a friend told him about Fairways for Warriors, a program that teaches wounded vets how to golf. He and his two oldest sons signed up.

In the program, Barry gets free one-on-one lessons from some of the best instructors in the region every other week as well as heavily discounted rates at certain courses.

“It’s a lot more fun than staying inside and playing video games,” said his oldest son Adryan, 10.

Birth of organization

Tom Underdown of East Orlando started the 501(C)(3) in January to get wounded veterans active. The lessons also help them recapture basic motor skills they have lost through injury.

“One vet is learning how to golf on one leg. Golf helps them learn to use their body after being injured like that,” Underdown said. “It gives them something that’s fun and gives them a sense of accomplishment.”

So far, 16 veterans have come to the clinics and Underdown said all but two fought in the Iraq war, are under the age of 30 and suffer from traumatic brain injury, causing dizziness, seizures, short term memory loss, and vision and hearing impairment.

Underdown was never in the military, but his father was in the Army for more than 30 years and fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. He always appreciated the sacrifices he knew his father made for his country.

Working for Oracle, a technology company located in the Central Florida Research Park that works with the Army, Underdown is routinely in contact with former and current soldiers.

“I meet all these soldiers and they tell me their stories, and I just knew I had to do something for these guys,” he said. “I’ve been so impressed with all of these young men. Their attitude after losing a limb and not being able to see is that they are glad they did it and they would do it again if they could.”

And Berry is one of them. He lists his injuries the way other people would list how many times they’ve been stung by a bee. “I’ve been in eight vehicles that have been blown up,” he said. “Once I got blown off a bridge and landed in the Euphrates River.”

By the time this happened, he had already been involved in several IED explosions. When he was sent to a hospital Germany, for the second time, he told the same doctor ‘No thank you’ to further testing. He was going back to fight with his men. He had no idea how bad he’d been injured.

Fairways for Warriors also collects golf bags, clubs and other gear to donate to the vets. Their families are also welcomed to join them on the course for free. Fairways even paid Berry’s rent for him when he couldn’t afford it.

“I didn’t see that coming from a mile away,” Barry said of the donation.

Underdown said it’s not in Fairway’s charter to do things like that but he said the organization will help a wounded veteran in any way they can.

“I can’t help but do it. These guys did so much for our country, I’m going to help them anyway I can,” he said.

Plenty of partners

Underdown said he’s raised $4,000 so far. His goals include buying special shoes for the vets and a specialized $16,000 wheelchair for one vet paralyzed from the waist down to help him golf.

“I’ve been getting a lot of people sending me $50, $100, $200. Every little bit helps,” he said.

Underdown has also partnered with Command Sgt. Major Jose Garcia, who started Operation Giveback, which supports wounded veterans and provides running clinics.

“Things like this help them forget about their limitations,” Garcia said.

Celebration Golf Management, which owns six local courses, donates their courses and 12 instructors for the biweekly golf clinics.

“They’re our guests, and we’re trying to give them as much access to golf as we can,” said Kenny Nairn, Celebration Golf Management vice president. “It’s whatever we can do to say thanks. As little as this is, it might mean enormous amounts to them.”

Never get down

Ken Donahue said it could mean life or death.

As a member of the Association of the United States Army executive board, he has referred about 80 percent of the vets in Fairways for Warriors. Having 28 years in the Army, he knows how dangerous it can be for a wounded vet to have too much free time.

“You don’t want to have a wounded warrior sulking at home. You want them getting out with a clean mind,” he said. “When you sit at home and think about your problems, you may resort to drugs, you may resort to evil thoughts.”

Sgt. Jorge Zapata said he never allowed down time after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps. with a fractured right leg from an IED explosion in Iraq. He spent one year in recovery, but during that time, he’d participate in wheelchair races to stay active. Now he’s hooked on golf.

“I think this is going to be a new thing in my life. Since I’m not able to play soccer or others things that I used to do, I think this is really good,” he said.

Expansion plans

Donahue said their hope is to expand Fairways for Warriors beyond Central Florida to the state and eventually the nation.

Not only does Berry hope veterans take advantage of Fairways, he also hopes the organization will remind people that we are still a country at war and the seriousness of traumatic brain injuries.

“There’s a lot of guys still coming back hurt,” he said. “I think it’s awesome there are programs like this out there that’s giving guys relief.”

How to help

-Rotary Clubs of Orlando East and Avalon Park’s 11th annual golf tournament will support Fairways for Warriors. The event is at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 6 at Dubsdread Golf Course, 549 W Par St., Orlando. For more information, contact Bo Trapnell at 407-687-0296 or [email protected]

-To donate or for more information about Fairways for Warriors, contact Tom Underdown at 407-399-0977 or [email protected] or visit www.fairwaysforwarriors.org

-Operation Giveback will host a run/walk at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 14 at the University of Central Florida. For more information, visit www.operation-giveback.com

Learn more

Rotary Clubs of Orlando East and Avalon Park’s 11th annual golf tournament will support Fairways for Warriors. The event is at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 6, at Dubsdread Golf Course, 549 W Par St., Orlando. For more information, contact Bo Trapnell at 407-687-0296 or [email protected]