Agent 000: An Immigrant

When my golf game was not improving regardless of how much I practiced, I decided to use one of the golf

Millions of men and women have served in the armed forces before me and millions more will serve after. Some have paid the ultimate sacrifice; some lost and captured, others received wounds, physically and or emotionally, and that time

My love for golf is like a cluster of blooming flowers, only showing the beautiful and impressive feelings. I have been playing

Mark henan: We have any military veterans in the audience today? At ease all that “rucus”, what do you think this is? college? Greetings to chairman Davis. President Jackson. Members of the board and trustees. Family ,friends, and my fellow graduates. May I share, may I share, my story in an essay format. After high school I went to college for one term and quit. Joined the army and 20 years later I found myself in the final stages to deploy to Iraq. Unfortunately, I was injured. My team with whom I had a bond forged in steel went to Iraq without me, but not everyone retuned. They sacrificed their dream so that we could dream big. And today I speak for those who no longer have a voice. As the story goes my injuries left me immobile and I couldn’t

I believe that golf teaches people life lessons. Golf has life lessons on every tee box, fairway, bunker, green, and hole. Every hole is different golfers must keep their cool in order to perform well consistently. Golfers will have good shots and they have bad shots but like my mom says to me, “Do not let one bad shot affect your entire hole.” Similar to life, golf has ups and downs. In life and golf if the golfer put away what just happened he or she will be back on track to be happy in life or get a good score on the hole. Bobby Jones, a historical golfer said, “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball where it lies.”

I wasn’t able to hit greens or make putts. The frustration I felt on the course that day was compounded as the day continued and I was unable to figure out what I was doing wrong. I was able to calm myself down by gazing out to the shimmering blue sea and taking in the warm sun on my face.

A Veteran Woman On December 7, 2000, I raised my right hand pledging to serve and protect the American people. At the age of 20, I had entered a 240 year-old organization, not really knowing what to expect from it. I was scared, excited, and ready for the new challenges joining this Armed Forces organization would bring. My basic training was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. This old country girl from Mississippi had to get on an airplane for the first time. My adrenaline was pumping so fast that I felt my heart could easily jump out my chest at any time. Despite all the insecure reservations I had and the negative comments I received from family and friends back home, I made it through basic training and spent a long, vigorous, and uplifting

For this Oral History Lab, I turned to the Veterans History Project, which has an online archive full of Interviews of War Veterans ranging from all eras. The interview that I chose to critique for this assignment was conducted in September of 2003. The interviewer is Bruce Wirz and the Narrator is WWII sergeant William C. Abernathy. The interview is conducted in just under 25 minutes.

I was walking towards the seventeenth hole of the Deep Cliff golf course, listening the rattle of the clubs on my back. My mouth dry of thirst from the pack of trail mix I had ate. I looked down at my scorecard and realized that I did not do as fortunate as I thought. My feet were aching and my arms were sore. I arrived at the seventeenth tee box after what felt like ages. I scanned the sign next to a decrepit bench. It read that the flag was one hundred seventy yards away. I dug deep into my pocket and pulled out a three inch tee and a golf ball. I teed up the ball, eyeing the flag in the distance. Little did I know, that the proudest moment of my life was waiting for me one hundred seventy yards away.

Thankfully, an older man who was warming up before his game saw me struggling. He came up to me and asked me if I wanted a few pointers. Slightly shocked, I accepted his offer. Over from the man’s golf cart, his partner yelled at him to hurry up and stop wasting time. However, the man signaled his partner to wait. He said to me, “Well first, your feet aren’t quite lined up with the ball.” I adjusted my feet to his liking. “Next, keep your left arm straight all the way throughout your swing. Lastly, just keep your eye on the ball. You’re looking up, and you aren’t hitting the ball in the right spot.” I lined up my feet, took my arms back, focused my eyes on the ball, and “POCK!” I looked up to see my ball soaring through the air and almost hitting the fence 100 yards away! I looked over at the kind gentleman, smiling. He smiled and raised his eyebrows. “Let’s see if you can do that again.” I did exactly what he told me to do, and sure enough, the ball soared. We practiced for

It was a peaceful, sunny day and perfect for golfing. The lake shimmered with sunlight as my dad, Ellie and I scooted up the hill in our golf cart, ready to go putt out balls in the hole. “Hey Kate,” my dad said, “Go see if you can find your ball, I will come and help you after I putt my ball in.”

In the middle of the woods, a cabin with boarded windows and broken shingles sat. Warped wood walls trapped the occupants inside. A chemistry set, fizzling with concoctions lay on a table. A man with molded hair laying on the shoulders of his lab coat poured this glowing green liquid into a syringe. He turns around, where another man kneeled at his feet said, "Lord Grendal, I am ready for enlightenment." Grendal smiled and stuck the syringe in the mans neck. There was a series of screams and shouts from the man. "It is perfect," replies the Scientist, "Just perfect."

The fifth hole started as each of my others did, which was badly. I swung the club, and ‘plop’! The ball was in the creek running parallel with the hole.

I remember like it was yesterday, the sound of my debit card sliding through the scanner as I am about to purchase items that would not leave my side to this day. Feeling very confident I walked out of the golf shop with a brand new set up clubs, everything from a putter to a new driver. The great Arnold Palmer once said, “Success in golf depends less on strength of body more on strength of mind and character.” Throughout my life I have used the sport golf, as some people may use meditation. My golf clubs aren’t just expensive graphite sticks; they’re tools that I’ve used to develop emotions, feelings, goals, and ultimately my life.

Many people take up Golf thinking that it is easy, after all, how hard can it be to hit a little white ball with a stick? This thinking evaporates the first time they step onto a driving range and attempt to hit that little white ball. Golf is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. My experience with golf began in May of 2005 when friends came to stay with us; my wife informed me that I would have to take Roy, her friend’s husband Golfing. I had not been to a driving range (since I was in my teens) and I had never played golf on a course before. It was quite an experience; the weather was cold, rainy and nasty the three times we played while they where here, the game hooked me badly, even with the bad shots and the nasty weather.