Golf Clubs and Lessons for U.S. Air Force Veteran Dallas Thompson
Golf Clubs and Lessons for U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Jose Dina
May 22, 2024
Golf Clubs and Lessons for U.S. Army Veteran Anthony Cappozi
May 30, 2024We had the privilege of meeting Dallas Thompson, TSgt., U.S. Air Force Retired. He received his set of golf clubs and vouchers for his private golf lessons at TPG Golf Performance Center and Academy.
Dallas was born in Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, but he calls Ft. Walton his hometown, where he lived for more than ten years. Air Force blood runs through his veins as his parents and older brother retire from the USAF. He joined in July 2000, completed Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, TX, and attended technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, MS. His assignment was Communication/Navigation Systems on various military aircraft: E-3 AWACS, C-130J, C-17, and C-5.
During his twenty years of service, he was stationed in Oklahoma, Germany, Arkansas, Turkey, and California. He deployed eight times, including twice to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, and Afghanistan.
The Hardest Battle: Cancer
Besides his military service, Dallas shared with us the details of his four-year cancer battle. During the exit exams required for his retirement in March 2020, an X-ray revealed a large mass above his heart. After quick testing and biopsies, the doctors determined it was Hodgkin Lymphoma in addition to Thyroid Papillary Cancer.
Because of the Covid shutdown, his retirement halted, allowing him to undergo treatment for the next year and a half. Several types of chemo regimens and forty-two radiation treatments shrunk the cancer but did not achieve complete remission. Dallas received a stem cell transplant (bone marrow transplant) that ceased the growth of the disease, and he is awaiting a few more treatments in July.
In his words: "I am not embarrassed about my story or who I have become due to this illness. Since I was diagnosed, I had to stop doing what I enjoyed. I had so much time in my headspace, and there was no escape. I went from working full-time to looking sick and feeling sorry for myself and a burden to my family. Nothing prepares you for the thoughts that run through your mind.
Even though I was never at the "edge" as so many folks have been, I was not doing well. I talked with mental health specialists, but there was only so much they could do. I had no hobbies because I was limited in what I could do being immunocompromised during COVID-19, so golf became a good outlet for my mental health. Getting out in the morning or late afternoon and being in the calm of the course. I love playing with others for the camaraderie. Of course, it might get loud at times, depending on how well we do on the course.
I met one of the Will of Iron founders, Jeff Spadafora, at a Wounded Warrior Project event, and I told him my golf clubs were over twenty years old. He described the foundation's mission, and I decided to become part of it and spread the word. The Will of Iron Golf Foundation has provided me with a set of used "new to me" clubs and a new golf bag, which will inevitably boost my game and, in turn, boost my mind. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with this foundation. I am so excited for the future."
Saluting Dallas Thompson
Dallas has been married to his beloved wife Amanda for twenty-two years, and they have two children, Savannah, 20, and Parker, 18.
We salute Dallas for his faithful service to our nation and extend our gratitude to his parents and brother. But more than anything, we want to recognize his strength, will to live, and kind smile and demeanor in the face of uncertainty. We will pray for his successful recovery so he can join us in our near future golf events.