For some, golf can be challenging and very frustrating, but for a Southern California Marine veteran, it’s therapy.
Dathan Edwards, who served during the war in Iraq, has been using the sport to help him recover from his injuries, one shot at a time. He hopes the game can help other veterans, too.
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WATCH HERE"I don't think I'd be here right now speaking to you. That is how important golf is to me,” Edwards told NBC4 while playing at the Golf Club of Rancho California in Murrieta.
As a sergeant major, Edwards says he'll never forget the horrors he witnessed in war.
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SIGN UP "Seeing bodies and zipping up body bags and talking to the families and just going over with young kids who volunteered who didn't come home,” Edwards recalled.
He also had two brushes with death, one involving an improvised explosive device that exploded near his military vehicle and the other a rocket-propelled grenade that struck his vehicle.
Edwards suffered concussions from both close calls, leading to a traumatic brain injury. The symptoms, he said, included a lot of migraines and short-term memory loss.
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When he got back to the U.S., his loving wife, Marjorie, and their three sons also had to deal with his pain.
"It caused a lot of nightmares. It caused a lot of issues with my family. And as a leader, you don't really ask for help; you're always giving help,” Edwards said.
But that all changed when Edwards connected with the Semper Fi & America's Fund, an organization that supports wounded veterans. He began speaking at their golf events and eventually found a new therapy to help him heal.
"Sometimes you can come out and meet veterans who are going through the same thing you are going through, and you're not going to talk about maybe what happened in the war, what happened in their career, you're going to talk about beating the game of golf,” Edwards said.
Edwards is hoping other veterans will hear his story and consider taking up golf to help them heal from the wounds of war, just like it’s helping him.
"Golf has just been a great savior,” Edwards said.
