FORT SILL, Okla -- Paula Creamer, Ladies Professional Golf Association player, sported her typical hot pink to Fort Sill Jan. 31 to find out what she can do for those wearing Army green.
"There's so many wonderful organizations that give back to the military. I'm one person, it's a little bit different than the mass organizations, but if I can help in any way, if I can help one family I feel like I'm doing a good deed," said Creamer.
The "Pink Panther" put away her clubs and took pause to research the needs of those serving the country. The first stop on her benevolent tour was Fort Sill where she announced her budding charity, the Paula Creamer Foundation.
"I come from a military family background," said Creamer. "My dad, my grandpa, my cousin is a Marine, I've always had a passion for [giving to the military] it was just the direction I've wanted to go with it."
Creamer explained the reason she chose to help the military to reporters as 196 Soldiers in 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery tackled the Confidence Obstacle Course behind her. She said the sight gave her goosebumps, and it brought her back to the values her father, Paul Creamer, taught her from his years in the Navy.
"I think just being a part of something where you aren't the main objective. It's everybody around you -- you're a team," said Creamer.
From PT to BCT to the CG, Creamer stepped into the daily operations at Fort Sill to find the unique challenges Soldiers face.
"I've seen a lot in a short amount of time. It's amazing. Just the camaraderie they all have in becoming one it really brings me back to a humbling sense of what I do hitting a little golf ball in a hole at the end of the day," said Creamer.
Creamer said the basics of her foundation are still in the works, but she'd like to focus on deployed Soldiers and their family members. She spoke with Soldiers who had experienced deployment themselves.
"I want to talk to the wives, the families see what I can hopefully do to help when they need it," said Creamer.
Creamer spoke with Drill Sgt. (Staff Sgt.) Polly Schmidt, C/1-40th FA, who has deployed twice leaving her husband and child. When asked what being deployed was like, she said it is what anyone would imagine it to be like.
"Lonely, long, tiring, scary, but then you know you get home and you're like 'glad that's over' and then you get ready to go again," said Schmidt. "It's your opportunity to do your job when you get deployed so it's not like 'Oh my god, I'm getting deployed I hate this.' For most of us it's like, 'Yes! I'm ready to go,' because we train train, train, train, train and then we get the opportunity to do our job, so that is exciting."
Schmidt said the Army does a great job supporting spouses, but she would like there to be more support for male spouses as well.
"It would have meant a lot because my husband was here by himself. I had a 1 year old when I deployed the first time, and he was a single, pretty much a single parent and then a dad at that aspect so he didn't have a lot of support groups for him because he was male," said Schmidt.
Capt. Kapono Aki, C/1-40th FA commander, said he has had to find help for his Soldiers and their families before, and he said he appreciated Creamer's efforts to do more.
"I think it's outstanding anytime someone wants to give back or help the military in the ways that they're able to. They're in such a national spotlight and anytime they can bring any outside look to the stuff that we do on a regular basis it's always a great opportunity," said Aki.
"We do this willingly. Being volunteers it's always nice for people to recognize the service that we do provide," said Aki.
Creamer has donated her golf skills to play for several charities over the years, and she said she wants to be heavily involved in her effort to help the military.
"Just having the pride of wearing red, white and blue, there's nothing better than that. Putting your hand over your heart and knowing you come from a fantastic country," said Creamer. "I thank my lucky stars every day that I'm able to do what I do because of the men and women who are here."
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