Chesnos golf scramble benefits wounded veterans

With an afternoon of golf Frank Chesnos raised over $50,000 to benefit wounded veterans.

Chesnos held a golf tournament Saturday at Eagle Bend Golf Club  to raise money for Rebuilding American Warriors, an organization that provides free reconstructive surgery to wounded and disfigured active-duty soldiers and veterans.

Chesnos and his wife, Kathie, have held the scramble at Eagle Bend Golf Club over the past several years for their friends. This was the first year they decided to use the event to benefit an organization.

“It’s a tournament my wife and I have done every other year just for our friends,” Chesnos said. “I decided this time, lets make a little fund raiser and we’ll make a fundraiser for our veterans.”

He decided on Rebuilding American Warriors after talking to a friend who is the director of the organization.

Rebuilding American Warriors is a non-profit established by Maggie Lockridge in 2007. Lockridge served as a nurse in the Air Force during Vietnam, and then worked in health care in Los Angeles. She decided to use her medical contacts to benefit veterans.

There are over 300 surgeons around the country who volunteer to do procedures for soldiers. Rebuilding American Warriors gathers donations and grants to cover transportation, hotel accommodations, hospitalization, anesthesia, medications, after care and other expenses associated with reconstructive surgery.

They have also added a dental service to address a bacteria disease many veterans have picked up in Afghanistan, which destroys their teeth, causing many to need dentures.

Rebuilding American Warriors fills a service that the Veterans Affairs facilities don’t cover, focusing on the cosmetic side of injury recovery.

“We feel that if you help someone with a facial scar and remove shrapnel, and help someone with their appearance, they’re gong to be a little bit more emotionally stable,” Lockridge said.

Several local veterans came out for the tournament.

Former Navy pilot Jim Rognlien served two years active duty after a four-year stint at the U.S. Naval academy. Though he said his combat experience was limited, he tries to support veterans in numerous ways.

Retired Major General Paul Vallely runs the Soldiers Memorial Fund to honor his son Scott, who died in service. 

The fundraiser was another opportunity to support and help veterans.

He said Rebuilding American Warriors is the only organization he knows of that addresses the dental diesease for veternas.

“We’re out here to contribute to the organization and help the veterans that need it,” he said.

“It was a great event,” Lockridge said. “We all had so much fun and just enjoyed the way we were welcomed. I couldn’t believe the reception we got.”