IN HONOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA'S 150th ANNIVERSARY, THE UF ALUMNI ASS'N. OF GREATER WASHINGTON DC SPONSORED A GOLF TOURNAMENT AT FORT BELVOIR VA TO BENEFIT THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARRIOR FOUNDATION (SOWF) OF TAMPA FL

April 25, 2003 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Desert One, the failed special operation that attempted to rescue the 53 U.S. hostages being held at our Embassy in Teheran, Iran. Nine U.S. servicemen lost their lives or were incapacitated for life on that date in 1978. Their families included 17 young children. To meet the future higher education needs of these children, active and retired members of the U.S. military formed SOWF in 1980. In the ensuing 23 years, SOWF has contributed to or committed to contribute to the college education of over 400 children of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) killed in action or in training. SOF personnel have a much higher fatality rate than does the average U.S. combat soldier. Since SOWF's start, over 380 SOF warriors have been killed in service to their country, not including Operation Iraqi Freedom.

To honor the memory of these fallen members of U.S. Special Forces, and to assist SOWF in ensuring that their children will have a higher education, the UFAA of Greater Washington DC chose SOWF as the beneficiary of their central Sesquicentennial event. Because their home is in the Nation's Capital, these UF alumni also wanted to highlight the role the State of Florida plays as the home of the U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa. This was also their way of honoring the present efforts of the men and women of that Command in defending the U.S. in the post-September 11, 2001 War On Terrorism.

So, on April 25, a day soberly but fittingly mixed with sun and rain, about 40 local alumni and friends of the University of Florida gathered at Ft. Belvoir's Woodlawn Golf Course to raise funds for this worthy cause. With their help and the generous sponsorship of Microsoft, Northrop Grumman Naval and Oceanic Systems, Harris Corporation, and Joe Theismann’s Restaurant, the UFAA of Greater Washington DC was able to raise $3000 for the SOWF scholarship fund.

“We are proud to have sponsored this event” said Jeff Plummer, President of the DC GATOR Club® at that time, “in these times of war, GATOR Alumni and friends in the DC area showed up to express support for the patriotic work SOWF does for our country. True to our Alma Mater's motto, we stand with you, in all kinds of weather.”

Colonel Craig Brotchie, USAF (ret), himself a former special ops officer, represented the Special Operations Warrior Foundation at this event. At the post-game dinner, Colonel Brotchie expressed his and the SOWF's gratitude for the show of support and for the funds raised by the UFAA of Greater Washington DC for Special Ops Warriors' children. “We appreciate your work, and our warriors appreciate your generous efforts.