Diamond in the Rough Golf Tournament

  • Published
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The Commander's Action Line is a forum for the Ellsworth community to make suggestions or voice concerns about Ellsworth directly to Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander. Below, he addresses a concern about the Diamond in the Rough Golf Tournament.

QUESTION
I am a retired senior NCO and I was extremely disappointed when I found out the First Sergeants played there Diamond in the Rough golf tournament at Red Rock Golf Club. When all base facilities are trying to make their programs better for the service men and women taking this tournament off base hurts the base course financially. The First Sergeants are suppose to be helping Ellsworth, by not hosting this tournament at the base golf course does not reflect the core values associated with this organization and the Air Force.
Col. Mark Weatherington
Col. Mark
Weatherington		 RESPONSE
The First Sergeant's council, a private organization, holds one fund raiser per year to pay all its expenses. For the past several years, they supported the base golf course by holding their tournament on-base. This year the council was able to host the event downtown at a substantial discount, allowing for a better bottom line and therefore greater benefits for the men and women of Ellsworth AFB. The council does support Ellsworth Air Force Base service agencies whenever possible and always checks base options and opportunities first; however, they also believe in fostering community relations and supporting our local community.