On a June 2006 night, Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot with the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, witnessed something he will never forget. As a flag-draped casket returning from war was being removed from a plane he had boarded, the airline asked passengers to stay seated out of respect for the soldier.
Rooney watched the fallen soldier’s family through his window, but when he got up to leave, he noticed half of the other passengers had ignored the airline’s request and already debarked.
Having seen “the other side of war,” Rooney decided then and there that something must be done to make sure America’s military personnel and their sacrifices would not go unappreciated or unrewarded.
That simple wish developed into the
Folds of Honor Foundation, which raises money for scholarships for the children and spouses of military personnel killed or disabled in the line of duty. The scholarships can be put toward two- or four-year higher education programs, as well as vocational, technical or other certification programs.
In just three years, the foundation has awarded 600 scholarships ranging from $500 to $20,000.
Rooney, also a golf professional, used his ties with the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) to raise money through an annual Labor Day fundraiser. In its first year in 2007,
Patriot Golf Day raised $1.1 million for scholarships at 3,330 golf courses across the country. Last year, $2 million was raised at 4,000 golf courses. This year, Rooney is striving to add $3 million to the fund.
After Rooney spoke to Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC)
Oklahoma Chapter last February, ABC members vowed to help his cause.
“ABC Oklahoma Chapter members are some of the most patriotic folks that he’d ever run across in his years of flying and on the PGA Tour,” says Carl Williams, chapter president.
With the Folds of Honor Foundation needing a new headquarters building, ABC reached out to its membership and secured donations of time and labor for 80 percent of the work. The groundbreaking for the more than $1 million, 3,460-square-foot building took place in June; the project is expected to take approximately five months to complete.
“We believe deeply in the mission of the Folds of Honor Foundation and want to do what we can to help,” Williams says. “Even though our members compete daily in business, they have joined together in this cause to make sure the foundation has a first-class facility to continue to do its job on behalf of our military families.”
For more information on contributing to the Folds of Honor Foundation or participating in the annual Patriot Golf Day, visit
www.foldsofhonor.org.