You may not know it by looking at me now but this grouchy guy was once a US Army infantry rifleman.

My buddies and I carried weapons and lugged what felt like 100-pound mortar plates over rugged hills and across wintery streams in the harsh Korean climate.

It taught me the value of having a well-trained, always-ready military. The world is filled with people who hate us.

Reader Tim Houghtaling who has served his country, too, passed this along. Every time I read it, it puts a tear in my eyes.

That’s hardly the kind of reaction you may expect from an old grouch like me. But here is the story.

But here is the story.

The golf game

A friend played the Disney Lake Buena Vista course with 3 other players. After a few holes they began to get to know each other.

This is the rest of what he told me about his game:

One fellow was young and had his wife along in the golf cart with him. I noticed that his golf bag had his name Ben Woods on it and the inscription “wounded war veteran.”

I asked him about the bag.

His response was simply that it was a gift.

The recovery

I asked if he was wounded and he said yes. When I asked more about his injury, his response was “I’d rather not talk about it, sir”.

Over a few holes, I learned he had spent the last 15 months in an army rehabilitation hospital in San Antonio, Texas. His wife moved there to be with him and he was released from the hospital in September.

He was a quiet fellow. However, he did say that he wanted to get good at golf.

As we became a bit more familiar, I asked him about the brand new set of Ping woods and irons he was playing. Some looked like they had never been hit.

He said this was the 1st round he’s used the clubs. He later said the following:

Upon discharge from the hospital, Ping gives 3 days of instruction and club fitting. Ping gives each of the discharged veterans, about 40 soldiers, a brand new set of custom fitted clubs with the impressive golf bags.

He said being fitted for those clubs was one of the best things to ever happen to him. He’s determined to learn to play golf well enough to deserve the gift Ping had given him.

Ben was medically discharged just a month ago. He is as fine a young man as you would ever want to meet.

Ping, whose products are made with pride in Arizona, has the good judgment not to advertise this program.

Ping renews your faith in mankind or at least the class of the PING Corporation.

Too bad it doesn’t take advantage of this wonderful program by advertising it.

You can bet the media won’t do it for them.

What do you think of this? Please write me at ChronicleSports@yahoo.com .