Pars With Patriots: A Special Day in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Some assignments end up on my calendar because of work. Others end up there because a friend asks.
My friend Miki Padgett and I go way back — all the way to middle school and high school. We were best friends growing up and have remained close through a lot of different chapters in both of our lives. There have been stretches over the years when we've gone a long time without seeing each other, or even talking much, but ours has always been one of those friendships where the minute we're together, we pick up right where we left off.
Miki Padgett and me sometime around 1994. We became friends in middle school and were best friends through high school — long before either of us had any idea where life would take us.
Our lives obviously went in very different directions after high school. Miki went on to serve our country in both the United States Marine Corps and Army, including multiple tours in Iraq, and later worked in government contracting and security in Afghanistan, Iraq and other hostile environments. Today, he continues that work with PAG Consultants, a veteran-operated global security and threat-mitigation firm specializing in executive protection, risk assessment and security consulting.
But one thing that has remained a constant throughout the years is Miki's commitment to his fellow veterans. Since leaving the military, he has continued finding ways to support the veteran community through fundraising, speaking engagements, mentoring and simply being there for people who have shared some of the same experiences. He has been especially passionate about bringing attention to the challenges veterans can face after returning home and helping connect them with the support they need. Pars With Patriots, benefiting the Vigilant Torch Foundation and its work supporting the Special Operations community, is really another chapter in something Miki has been doing for years — finding ways to bring people together and use those relationships to help other veterans.
So when Miki asked if I would volunteer my time to photograph the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational in Bowling Green, Kentucky, there really wasn't much of a decision to make. Of course I would be there.
Behind the scenes at the 18th green during the PGA TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where I spent the five days leading up to Pars With Patriots working as part of the video production crew.
A quick behind-the-scenes moment with a fellow crew member and the FedExCup trophy during the PGA TOUR Championship at East Lake.
Working the PGA TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday, just a few hours before packing up the camera gear and making the drive to Bowling Green.
After wrapping five days of video production at East Lake, I left Atlanta Sunday evening and headed north toward Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the Pars With Patriots Invitational the following morning.
From East Lake to Bowling Green
The logistics of getting there made things a little more interesting. The week leading up to the tournament, I was in Atlanta working on the video crew covering the PGA TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club. We were working Wednesday through Sunday, August 26–30, and Miki's tournament had an early call time the very next morning in Bowling Green.
Rather than fly, I decided to drive to Atlanta and then make the roughly four-and-a-half-hour drive from Atlanta to Bowling Green whenever we wrapped Sunday. It gave me the most flexibility. If our shoot at East Lake ran long, I didn't want to spend Sunday afternoon watching the clock and worrying about missing a flight and potentially not being there Monday morning. There was also the not-so-small issue of gear. My work at East Lake was entirely video, while Miki's tournament would be entirely still photography, so I had a van full of equipment covering two very different kinds of assignments. Loading it all into the van made a lot more sense than trying to fly with it.
So after wrapping five days of video production at East Lake on Sunday, I loaded up and headed north toward Kentucky. A few hours later I was in Bowling Green, ready to trade the video cameras for still cameras and start again Monday morning.
I mention all of that because it is part of the story of how I got there, but I also want to put it in the proper perspective. Volunteering a day of my time, driving a few extra hours and having a long week are pretty insignificant sacrifices compared with those made by Miki and the many veterans who were gathered in Bowling Green that Monday. The time they've spent away from their families, the milestones they've missed, the dangers they've faced and the things many continue to carry with them long after coming home are sacrifices the rest of us should never take for granted. Compared with that, getting myself to Bowling Green wasn't much of a sacrifice at all. I was grateful to have the opportunity to be there.
Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green, Kentucky, hosted the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational benefiting the Vigilant Torch Foundation.
Members of Western Kentucky University Army ROTC volunteered throughout the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational, helping with setup, registration and other behind-the-scenes work.
The Bowling Green Fire Department displays a giant American flag over Indian Hills Country Club on the morning of the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational.
The First Pars With Patriots Invitational
The inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational was held Monday, August 31, at Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green. The tournament brought together 76 golfers along with sponsors, volunteers, veterans, friends and supporters to benefit the Vigilant Torch Foundation and its work within the Special Operations community.
The event ultimately raised more than $25,000 for the Vigilant Torch Foundation, with funds supporting programs including the Philo Project and proactive MRI screenings for eligible members of the Special Operations Forces community. For a first-year event, it was an impressive accomplishment, but the amount of money raised was only part of what stood out to me.
The day started early, and a huge part of making everything happen was a group of volunteers from Western Kentucky University's Army ROTC program. They were there helping with setup, registration and the many behind-the-scenes jobs that have to happen before anyone ever tees off. They were an important part of keeping the morning organized and getting the tournament underway, and it seemed particularly appropriate to have the next generation of Army leaders helping support an event focused on those who have already given so much through their service.
The Bowling Green Fire Department also came out to support the event, bringing one of their trucks and using the ladder to raise a giant American flag high above the course. It became one of the defining visual elements of the day and another reminder of just how much support the tournament received from the Bowling Green community. Between the firefighters, the WKU Army ROTC volunteers, local businesses, sponsors and everyone else who contributed their time and resources, it was clear that a lot of people wanted to help make the first Pars With Patriots a success.
That support also came from businesses that stepped up behind the event. Bizzell Corporation, Go Rentals and Clean Air Technology Solutions, LLC were among the sponsors helping support the inaugural tournament. For a first-year event, seeing that kind of commitment from sponsors, volunteers and the local community was a big part of what made the day possible.
A Pretty Incredible Way to Start a Golf Tournament
At 9:30 that morning, everyone's attention shifted from the first tee to the sky.
At approximately 5,000 feet above the course, retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Kevin Engel of Team Fastrax jumped from an aircraft to officially kick off the tournament. Kevin has more than 2,200 jumps to his credit, but what happened next was something I certainly don't get to photograph at the average golf tournament.
During his descent, Kevin unfurled an enormous 50-foot American flag beneath him.
Watching him come down toward Indian Hills with that flag stretched out and moving in the wind below him was an incredible sight. Standing on a golf course surrounded by veterans, their families and supporters while a retired Army Command Sergeant Major descended from the sky carrying a 50-foot American flag was a pretty fitting way to start the day — and from a photographer's perspective, it was one heck of a moment to have unfolding in front of my camera.
Kevin Engel of Team Fastrax descends into Indian Hills Country Club carrying a 50-foot American flag to officially kick off the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational.
An Extraordinary Group of People
Another highlight of the program was hearing from retired U.S. Army General Bryan P. Fenton, who served as the event's keynote speaker. General Fenton retired after more than 38 years of military service and a career as an Army Special Forces officer. He served as the 13th Commander of United States Special Operations Command, overseeing approximately 70,000 Special Operations personnel across the U.S. military. His career also included serving as Commander of Joint Special Operations Command, Deputy Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Senior Military Assistant to two U.S. Secretaries of Defense.
General Fenton commanded at every level of Special Operations and deployed numerous times to Afghanistan, Iraq and locations throughout the Middle East and around the world. Today, he serves as a Director-at-Large for the Vigilant Torch Foundation. Having someone with his experience and history speak at the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational brought home the connection between a group of people playing golf on a Monday morning in Bowling Green and the much larger Special Operations community the event was there to support.
Despite the seriousness of the mission, the day itself was anything but somber. There was a lot of laughter, storytelling, friendly competition and camaraderie throughout the course, and some great local businesses stepped up to help make the day special. Pub by Novo provided the food for the tournament, keeping everyone fed throughout a long day on the course, while Bowling Green's White Squirrel Brewery brought out its restored firetruck-turned-mobile-bar and even created a one-of-a-kind beer specifically for the tournament, appropriately named Special Hops. Between the food, the firetruck, the beer, the golf and the personalities involved, there was no shortage of fun to photograph.
That balance was one of my favorite things about the day. Everyone understood why they were there and what they were supporting, but this was also a group of people who genuinely enjoyed being together. There was a seriousness of purpose without the day ever feeling overly serious.
Retired U.S. Army General Bryan P. Fenton, former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and a Director-at-Large of the Vigilant Torch Foundation, visits with attendees before the tournament.
Bowling Green's White Squirrel Brewery brought its restored firetruck-turned-mobile bar to Indian Hills Country Club and created a special beer, appropriately named Special Hops, for the tournament.
Pars With Patriots organizer Miki Padgett welcomes golfers, veterans, volunteers and supporters to the inaugural tournament at Indian Hills Country Club.
The People Who Showed Up
As I moved around the course photographing the tournament, something else became increasingly obvious to me. There was a core group of Miki's friends there, many of whom are also his colleagues from PAG Consultants, but in a broader sense, everyone who showed up that day was part of that group.
People took a Monday away from work to play in the tournament. Volunteers gave up their time to handle registration, setup and all the little things required to make an event like this work. Sponsors committed their resources. Friends traveled to Bowling Green. People spent time away from their businesses, jobs and families because Miki asked them to support something that was important to him.
That obviously says something about the cause, but knowing Miki as long as I have, I think it also says a lot about him.
I've known him since we were kids. I've watched his life take him places and through experiences neither of us could possibly have imagined when we were hanging out together in middle school and high school. Over the years, he's built relationships with people from all different walks of life, and standing there that Monday, I got to see many of those worlds come together in one place.
Miki has an ability to connect with people. He builds genuine relationships, earns people's trust and, most importantly, those relationships last. Seeing so many people from different parts of his life willing to give their time and resources to something he believes in was a pretty remarkable testament to his character.
General Bryan P. Fenton, Miki Padgett, Miki’s son and other volunteers gather the 50-foot American flag following Kevin Engel’s Team Fastrax parachute jump.
Bradley James of Bizzell Corporation catches up with attendees during the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational at Indian Hills Country Club.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Steven Basham tees off during the inaugural Pars With Patriots Invitational at Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
More Than a Golf Tournament
From a photography standpoint, golf tournaments are always fun assignments, but this one was about more than tee shots, putts and the beautiful surroundings at Indian Hills. I wanted to photograph the relationships and the moments that showed what it felt like to actually be there: Miki with friends he has known and worked alongside, veterans talking and laughing together, volunteers handling the unglamorous work behind the scenes, General Fenton speaking, Kevin coming out of the sky with that enormous flag and golfers simply enjoying the day.
That's one of the things I enjoy most about photographing events, particularly for nonprofit organizations. The photographs aren't simply a record of what happened. Done well, they become part of the organization's story. They recognize the people who made the event possible, give sponsors something tangible to see from their support, help reach new supporters and provide the organization with a library of images it can use to build momentum for whatever comes next.
For the first Pars With Patriots Invitational, that story started with 76 golfers and more than $25,000 raised for the Vigilant Torch Foundation. That's a heck of a start.
But for me, the story I'll remember is the people.
Twenty-four hours earlier I had been at East Lake working the PGA TOUR Championship as part of a large professional production. The next morning I was standing on a golf course in Bowling Green, Kentucky, volunteering my time to photograph a first-year charity tournament for one of my oldest friends.
They were two completely different golf tournaments and two completely different assignments.
And I was every bit as happy to be at the second one.
The sacrifices Miki, his friends and veterans throughout our country have made deserve our respect and shouldn't ever be taken for granted. Being able to give a little of my own time and use what I do for a living to help tell their story was a privilege.
A lot of people showed up for Miki that Monday.
I was proud to be one of them.
