Turning Pain Into Purpose With The Help of a Veteran Support Organization

Veterans On Course: Patrick Nelson, Turning Pain Into Purpose With The Help of a Veteran Support Organization

Although former Army Staff Sergeant Patrick Nelson experienced great loss while serving in the military, he also found a new sense of purpose and drive that is helping a veterans support organization.  “I don’t think I would be where I am today without Tee It Up for the Troops,” said Patrick. “This military fundraising organization has done so much for me – beyond the golf course. Tee It Up for the Troops has taught me the importance of sharing my story and how it can impact others.”

Finding a Better Future

Having faced a tough childhood and not having any future leadership, Patrick joined the Minnesota National Guard as a junior in high school. The way Patrick saw it, he needed a place to find involvement, love, and accomplishment and this was the military.

Patrick graduated from high school in 2001 and started school at Ridgewater College in Willmar, MN in August.  A few weeks after school started, the attacks of 9/11 happened. Patrick knew that the National Guard would not be the first to be mobilized. Two days after the attacks, he left college and joined the active military.

Patrick served almost seven years in the Army as a paratrooper with the historic 173rd Airborne Brigade, splitting his time between Vicenza, Italy, and Bamberg, Germany. As he rose in the ranks, he went from being a commoner to a howitzer section chief and squad leader.

Patrick has deployed three times for a total of 39 months in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He spent 12 months in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, 12 months in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006, and 15 months in Afghanistan again in 2007 to 2008.

Changing Lives in an Instant

On 8 June 2005, Patrick was wounded by a rocket while conducting a helicopter resupply mission to his small forward operations base (FOB) on the Pakistani border. He and nine other soldiers were standing next to the helicopter when things changed in an instant. Patrick remembers being picked up and slammed to the ground. He remembers hearing an incoming rocket and he dove under the Humvee for cover as rockets impacted all around. As soon as the barrage ended, he crawled out and ran to help other soldiers on the ground. A Marine yelled to Patrick that he had been hit. He turned to look at the back of his uniform which was shredded, blood was pouring out and he was in pain.

Patrick recovering from injuries in Pakistan.

Two soldiers were killed that day, and eight others were wounded, including Patrick. As Patrick says, his wounds were very minor compared to everyone else. The two soldiers literally standing beside him were killed and he left with some small holes in his back.  Patrick was medevacked from the area to receive treatment. They removed several pieces of shrapnel from his back but left some too deep to remove. 

Patrick returned to his FOB in Afghanistan within weeks of being injured. He was not allowed to conduct missions while he was still in recovery. He was also suffering from PTSD symptoms from the attack. Patrick worked with Special Forces and Navy Seals, which meant they had a large Internet connection.  On his own time, he started taking online courses to complete his college degree.

“I was motivated by the fact that no one from my family had ever gone to college let alone graduated from it,” says Patrick. “My platoon leader at the time, Jon Post, was also a huge inspiration and driving force for me to take the classes.”

And drive and determination he had! Patrick double majored in history and sport management, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He also holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Sport Management and the other in Organization Development.

From Soldier to Civilian

Patrick was honorably discharged from the Army in December of 2008. He earned a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during his service to our country. Patrick and his wife, Shanna, moved back to Minnesota where they are raising three daughters, Hazelyn, Haddie and Haven.

Patrick Nelson Family
Patrick and his wife, Shanna, and their three daughters, Hazelyn, Haddie and Haven.

 

Like most U.S. Veterans, Patrick found the transition to civilian life tough, and to cope with survivor’s guilt and other post-battle symptoms he tried to drink the pain away or wash it away with pills. “I was in a lot of pain physically and became addicted to opioids for five years. It’s a miracle I survived this,” Patrick said. And of course, he found that none of that worked. He learned over time, that he could not change the past, but he could influence the future.

“I had the honor of serving with some of the best our country has to offer, and I’ve made it my mission to share their stories of service and sacrifice,” Patrick explained. “These hero’s stories can have an impact on others and any opportunity I get, I am willing to share their stories and help others. I also carry their legacy through everything I do – from being a husband and father to an advocate for wounded veterans. Sitting idle is not an option when so many have sacrificed for our freedom.”

Now, as a civilian, he has turned his focus to helping others in a different way. He took his story that could connect and influence other veterans and started a combat-related website to help others share their stories. Then he moved to use his personal experiences to help facilitate leadership development for companies. Patrick eventually founded Loyalty Point Leadership,  a leadership training and development consulting firm where today he inspires others to be impactful leaders through his motivational speaking, leadership development, safety leadership, and consulting through this veteran-owned company.

Inspiring Vets with His Story

Off the leadership field, Patrick serves his community by actively volunteering with Tee It Up for the Troops, a veteran support organization that runs golf tournaments to help wounded warriors. “Tee It Up for the Troops is so much more than just golf. I had never swung a club in my life until this organization came into my life. I fell in love with the game – and I am a terrible golfer. But it has provided me the opportunity to remain active and connected with others. They also have great connections and relationships with other veteran-related resources that can always help you find what you might be looking for.” 

Patrick with veteran support organization friends at a recent Tee It Up for the Troops event.

Patrick has faced challenges in his life that many will never have. His time in combat, alongside the other brave men and women he served with, was one of service and sacrifice. These experiences helped to position him as the leader he is today.  

We hope you find a way to support a veteran like Patrick and so many other military heroes like him. You can donate immediately here: Donate Now | Tee It Up for the Troops or consider joining or sponsoring a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Event here: Local Military Charity Events | Tee It Up for the Troops.

Tee It Up for the Troops – A Highly Rated Military and Veterans Charity Organization!

When people donate to a veterans charity organization, they want to make sure their hard-earned money is making a difference. Tee It Up for the Troops works hard to be a good steward of the funds entrusted to us. One of the best ways to know your donation to Tee It Up for the Troops is making an impact is to review third-party endorsers (nonprofit watchdogs). They provide transparency – so you know that your support is making a positive difference.

Tee It Up for the Troops has received perfect ratings from three national charity evaluators:

national-charity-evaluators

  • Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, provides ratings of financial health and accountability.
  • GreatNonprofits, trusted reviews based on clients, donors, and volunteers.
  • GuideStar, a Gold Seal status for non-profit transparency and accountability from the world’s largest source of non-profit information.

“We are honored to receive these awards and humbled by the generosity of those who support Tee It Up for the Troops,” says Tim Wegscheid, President & Executive Director for Tee It Up for the Troops. “We vow to continue to be fiscally responsible with every dollar donated.”

Learn More About These Non-Profit Review Organizations

Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator rates organizations on financial health, accountability, and

transparency. Charity Navigator helps highlight what percentage of a monetary donation is going directly to the support of the nonprofit’s mission. Charity Navigator has given Tee It Up for the Troops an Encompass Rating of 100 out of 100! A score of 75 or above indicates that a nonprofit is effective and transparent based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. This means you can give with confidence!

GuideStar

GuideStar provides information on spending and income by providing access to Form 990, which is the basic Internal Revenue Service filing document. We are proud to have received GuideStar’s Gold Rating! Again, you can give with confidence knowing that your donation contributes substantially to our mission to support veterans and their families.

GreatNonprofits

GreatNonprofits is the leading platform for community-sourced stories about nonprofits. These are the stories submitted by people who have first-hand knowledge and experience with the non-profit: veterans, military family members, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and supporters. We were named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” and received a five-star rating. There are over 57 current stories regarding Tee It Up for the Troops on their website. We invite you to read through a few of these uplifting stories. You can give with confidence.

We are a veterans charity organization here to help our military veterans with the support and services they so desperately need, and we maximize the value of our resources. Learn more about how we do that here.

Our role is two-fold. One, we are providing critically needed services to veterans and their families to help them achieve a quality of life that they have earned and deserve. That is priority number one. To make that happen, we have to do our absolute best to be fiscally responsible with every dollar entrusted to our organization. Six cents on the dollar takes focus and effort, but without a doubt, our military veterans and their families are worth every bit of effort that we can provide.   – Tim Wegscheid President and Executive Director, Tee It Up for the Troops

Contribute to Our Mission Today

We are very proud of the efficiencies at Tee It Up for the Troops and hope that gives you confidence. Your hard-earned money is making a difference and going to programs that make an impact on veterans and their families.  Contribute to our veteran’s charity organization today online, or take some time to find a local Tee It Up for the Troops event near you to contribute through. We promise to do our absolute best to be good stewards of your support!