A story by Jose Lambiet of the PALM BEACH POST has officially made Ernie Els my favorite golfer.
(My guy)
One day after yet another disappointing finish at The Masters (18th), an unprompted Els, with no media in sight, took time to brighten the day of three seriously disabled military veterans. The golfer was at a waterside bar in Jupiter, FL., Monday when he saw the three men on a docked fishing boat.
One of the men was Josh Schichtl, a veteran of three Iraq tours who’s married with two children. Schichtl lost an eye, facial bones and most of his teeth in a double road-side bombing in Iraq 2007. Most recently, he’s endured eight surgeries and has rehabbed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for over two years.
Schichtl related the story about Els:
“We’re walking through this outdoors bar (the Grouper) to catch the van to the hotel and this man (one of the dudes sitting with Els) comes up to us and says Ernie Els would like to say ‘hi’. Now, I’m a big golfing fan and I saw him on TV at The Masters, so I never expected anything like that. You know, I’m from Arkansas.
“So we went to the bar, and sure enough, there was Ernie Els. It was amazing. He asked each of us about our experiences in Iraq and shared his experience in the South African army. We ended up sitting down and shooting the breeze with him for more than an hour. He kept buying rounds of beer. We had a great talk. He made us feel good.
“I know Ernie’s South African, but he is very patriotic about America.”
The 27-year-old Schichtl and his two disabled military veteran companions and their families were in Florida for an “all-expenses-paid five-day vacation, courtesy of the Jupiter non-profit A Wounded Warrior’s Second Chance.”
Sometimes it takes someone who didn’t grow up with the privileges that millions of American soldiers died for to remind us how important our veterans are, and how we shouldn’t be shy about thanking them every single day.
12:20 pm on April 14th, 2010
That my friend was a WOW read! Thanks Ernie!
12:28 pm on April 14th, 2010
Kudos to Els, but if he wanted to be such a nice guy, shouldn’t he have gotten up himself and gone over to the guys? The fact that he sent a lackey over to fetch the dudes does detract a little from the picture that you’re trying to paint.
12:38 pm on April 14th, 2010
U serious BoosBros…Good story
12:39 pm on April 14th, 2010
You would think more soldiers would be upset that their commander in chief has no standing to give them orders since he is not eligible to be President and we do nothing about it.
Thank god for LTC Lakin
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/04/president_obama_needs_to_prove_1.html
12:52 pm on April 14th, 2010
Awesome story…just about every sports fan’s dream
1:06 pm on April 14th, 2010
Jeremy… take your tin foil hat elsewhere.
The Supreme Court disagrees with you. The same court that put Bush into office via a 5-4 vote. It’s not a liberal court.
Get over it.
Your side lost the election.
Now it’s time to act like an adult.
1:34 pm on April 14th, 2010
BoosBros - Ernie sent someone else to ask so the vets wouldn’t feel “obligated/presssured” to say yes just becasue he’s Ernie Els. It was a gentleman courtesy to the wounded vets, something of which you’d have no concept.
1:45 pm on April 14th, 2010
Letting boneheaded anti-Americans like Jeremy comment at the end of stories like this (that don’t need the idiocy) is proof somebody had to finish in the bottom half of the class. And no good deed goes unpunished. Ernie, you’re a good guy. We could sure use more EEs and fewer Eldricks.
2:27 pm on April 14th, 2010
Great story!
2:42 pm on April 14th, 2010
Golfpro22.. We “let” anyone and everyone speak their mind in this country, no matter where they finished in class. It’s when people disagree and feel they can shut the other guy up, that’s when I have a problem.
Now, about the story…outstanding show of support. Thanks for posting.
2:50 pm on April 14th, 2010
No one important,
Agree, Ernie didn’t want to impose on those guys.
3:30 pm on April 14th, 2010
Great read but the last bit about “someone who didn’t grow up with the privileges that millions of American soldiers died for to remind us how important our veterans are” implies that Ernie grew up without the liberties and freedoms afforded to the USA when in fact he grew up wealthy and privilidged in RSA complete with “servants” and Nannies.
Regardless, I wish more athletes would behave like this instead of like spoiled children who always get their way.
3:59 pm on April 14th, 2010
WHAT A GREAT STORY. I’VE FOLLOWED ERNIE
FOR A LONG TIME AND I HAVE SEEN THIS SIDE OF
HIM. VERY GIVING.
WHY CAN’T THIS JUST BE A GREAT STORY WITHOUT
BRINGING ALL OUR DIFFERENCES INTO IT.
OH AND BY THE WAY..NO ONE IS MORE SUPPORTIVE OF OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS THEN ME
AND MORE CONSERVATIVE. (THE CONSERVATIVE
PART HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY JUST
THOUGHT I WOULD THROW THAT IN)
7:09 pm on April 14th, 2010
Good story
Els really fell off the cliff a few years ago and rumors of him doing it due to drinking and mental issues
Glad to see he has come back
1:56 am on April 15th, 2010
first a message to post by the spank guy…moron the court didn’t put bush in…it first stopped the repeat counting that had already been done and which again showed bush winnin…it then remanded back to have the florida court follow its own laws that it was changing without any new statues…stupid…now on to brooks…brooks your post about els is your best of the year…thanks for reporting on it
2:01 am on April 15th, 2010
bush won EVERY RECOUNT you drug addled smelly throwback national socialist castro lover… he also won media recounts done by that new york slimes paper…now go find a joint and feed it to your dog
1:04 pm on April 15th, 2010
Ernie is a class act. He has an autistic child and he and his wife donate an enormous amount of time and money to that cause. We should be extremely grateful when a native of another country shows so much respect to our vets when so many Americans won’t support them.
2:54 pm on April 15th, 2010
Why can’t people just enjoy the wonderful thing Ernie did for these veterans. Why do they make it political. I’m a disabled Vet from Vietnam, and now I will root for Ernie to win every event he enters. Sports hero’s are hard to find in today’s society. God bless you Ernie for just being one of the guys
3:13 pm on April 15th, 2010
Who cares about whether Bush won or the Courts decided the election… He served 8 years as President and we have since had a national election and now have a new President…. Let’s keep a sports message board about sport the subject at hand. Additionally, by no means am I attempting to squash your freedom and right to speak!!
This was a class move by Ernie and and I agree with the poster Respect.. We should have more athletes remember that they were once a regular guy and absent the cameras and spotlight they still are… All the premadonna antics and hiding behind a hoard of handlers and hangers on is not what its all about…
Salutations to our Vets and all the other men and women in uniform.. I am sincerely thankful for your serviice to this great nation.
Hey Ernie, I’ll share a beer with you anytime…
4:25 pm on April 15th, 2010
are you guys serious? quit ruining a great story with your political nit-picking! shit up and enjoy a good story. it’s 2010 if you are not happy with your privleges the soilders have given us,then please leave. BTW how in the hell did you get to talking about “W”. please move on, he doesn’t love you anymore.
6:18 pm on April 15th, 2010
JK, you’re an ass. I’ve known Ernie for 16 years and I can assure you Ernie has always been kind hearted and respectful to everyone. Lackeys don’t exist in his life. And Ernie has never had any drinking or mental problems. Quite the opposite.
8:49 pm on April 15th, 2010
Thanks, Ernie, class tells!
9:13 pm on April 15th, 2010
I cannot imagine Tiger Woods ever doing that….good on Ernie!
8:38 am on April 16th, 2010
Ernie, thanks for taking time to show respect for our troops….you are a class act.
11:33 am on April 16th, 2010
Hi guys
I’ve known Ernie since he was a kid in school here in South Africa. He’s always been one of the lads, irrespective of the company he was in. I’ve been rooting for Ernie for years, and will continue doing so. He is blessed with massive talent, and uses it to great effect.
8:00 am on April 17th, 2010
Ernie and many more of these super hero’s are just like the ordinary citizen. If shown decent respect it will be returned. He did well!!!