12-15-09 tro.wmv

Sunglasses for Troops

When you're the parent of a soldier serving in Iraq, waiting, watching, and worrying become part of your routine.

"The first thing you do is get up in the morning and look at the news and hope you get to see them," said Bob Gahring.

Gahring's son was serving in the National Guard when he got the kind of news that stops a parent's heart.

"They were riding in a Bradley going to the mission," Gahring said. "They were hit by an IED."

His son walked away from the roadside bomb explosion without severe injuries. He lived to receive this simple gift from his dad -- a pair of golfing sunglasses. Perhaps not that surprising -- Gahring is an owner of Greater Golf Training and Pro Center -- but his reaction gave Gahring an idea.




"He said, 'Man, these are great. I wish I'd had this when I was over there in Iraq."

So Greater Golf teamed up with Maxx sunglasses to donate pairs to troops.




The glasses are made with special durable high definition lenses that make objects pop for soldiers working in the bright conditions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Greater Golf's goal is to collect enough donations to send 10,000 pairs to troops serving overseas by February.

It's also collecting money on its web site for Wounded Warrior Project, which helps families afford trips to visit wounded loved ones in hospitals.

Bob Gahring's son will be home for the holidays. He's hoping this effort will make life a little easier for the soldiers who won't...and the families still reaching out for any scrap of information about what is happening to their loved ones in harm's way, thousands of miles from home.

"Before you go to bed, the last thing you do is look at the news again and see if you can see them. And then you say a prayer to keep them safe," said Gahring. "And the whole routine starts over the next day."

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News & Politics

Tags:

• Maxx
• Sunglasses