FAIRBORN, OH – Meet Southern Ohio PGA HOPE Columbus Member Bill Palmatary:
William ‘Bill’ Palmatary
PGA HOPE Chapter: Columbus Chapter
Service Branch: United States Navy
Years Active: 1985-2005
USN Veteran Bill Palmatary joined the United States Navy on July 18, 1985. He went to Naval Training Center Orlando, FL, for Bootcamp and graduated in September 1985. Palmatary then transited to the Naval Technical Training Center Meridian, MS, where he attended Yeoman “A” School and graduated in December 1985.
Palmatary served in many different capacities during his time in service, such as Command Chief, Leading Chief Petty Officer of Administrative and Personnel Offices, Physical Fitness Coordinator, Command Career Counselor, EEO Officer, Master-At-Arms, Command Volunteer Coordinator, Training Instructor and Coordinator, Reserve Pay Coordinator, Command Duty Officer, and #1 Investigator onboard USS SHRIKE (MHC 62). Throughout his years of service, Palmatary received the following designation and awards: Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS), Command Career Counselor Navy Enlisted Code Designation, three Navy Commendation Medals, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and numerous other Campaign Medals and Ribbons. He was also elected to the All-Navy Racquetball Team from 1986-1988.
Duty Stations Palmatary served in:
85-88 Naval Air Reserve Alameda, CA
88-91 Naval Reserve Center, Duluth, MN
91-94 Reserve Intelligence Area ONE, Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, WA
94-97 Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center, Grand Rapids, MI
97-00 Pre-Com SHRIKE and USS SHRIKE (MHC 62), Plankowner, Naval Station Norfolk for Training Schools, Savannah, GA where the USS SHRIKE (MHC 62) was built by Inter Marine Yacht Company, and then to homeport of Naval Station, Ingleside, TX where he was selected to Chief Petty Officer onboard USS SHRIKE (MHC 62) and was pinned onboard the USS CHIEF (MCM 13) at Naval Station, Ingleside, TX.
00-02 Naval Operational Support Center, Houston, TX
02-05 Naval Air Reserve Brunswick, ME
Today, Palmatary is an active member of PGA HOPE Columbus at the Golf Club of Dublin and currently works at the Defense Logistics Agency, Safety & Occupational Health Division as a Management & Program Analyst at DSCC Columbus. He loves to play golf and often travels to new and different courses to play the game he loves. The 2022 Southern Ohio PGA Hope Play Days allowed Bill to meet new people each week, enjoy a round of golf in a different New Era Golf Course, and apply his skills acquired during the PGA Hope Clinics to the golf course. PGA Hope continues to support Veterans like Bill by providing them with tools to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being through the game of golf.
Q: What do you enjoy most about participating in PGA HOPE?
BP: I enjoy the opportunity to spend time with other Veterans and the numerous PGA Professionals who are volunteering their time to teach Veterans to play golf and to assist Veteran golfers with any issues to hopefully allow Veterans to improve and enjoy the great game of golf.
Q: What was your favorite moment or favorite thing about our PGA HOPE Play Days?
BP: It was really nice to play the other New Era Golf Courses that I don’t normally play and, of course, being paired up with different Veterans each week, enabling all Veterans to meet new people and simply enjoy each other’s company, all while trying to win for that individual outing.
Q: Is there any memory or experience from your service days that you would like to share with us?
BP: While onboard the Pre-Com USS SHRIKE (MHC-62), built in Savannah, GA, I was fortunate to play all the military courses in the region and other Hilton Head courses during an extremely stressful and difficult time. We worked 80 hours a week, Monday – Saturday, and Sunday, a day of rest was also our day to play golf and step away from the structure of the Pre-Com life and stress.
Q: Outside of golf, are there any other activities that you enjoy?
BP: I enjoy playing hockey, cycling and especially golfing with my wife.
Q: What is your favorite thing about golf?
BP: Golf is a true test every round. This past weekend, I was playing at National Golf Links, and one of my friends said ‘you can’t par every hole’. That’s what makes golf fun and challenging. My other favorite part of golf is playing with old friends and meeting new people to play golf with too.
Q: What is your favorite golf course, golf club, or golf shot?
BP: My Favorite Golf course is Parris Island Golf Club. My favorite golf shot is a flop shot; it’s fun to see the result when it works. When you miss it, who knows where it is going?
PGA HOPE is the flagship military program funded by PGA REACH. It is an adaptive golf program designed to improve veteran’s overall quality of life through enhancing their mental, social, physical, and emotional well-being.The program introduces the game of golf to military participants through developmental curriculum, taught by PGA Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency, completely free of charge to each participant.
PGA REACH Southern Ohio is proud to support more than 250 PGA HOPE Members through four local Chapters. Trained PGA Professionals throughout the Southern Ohio Section provide annual instruction through Clinic Sessions and encourage growth on the course for each participant. Click here to learn more about PGA HOPE Southern Ohio.
Interested in supporting PGA HOPE Southern Ohio? Click here to give with a purpose this year and make a donation to the 2022 PGA HOPE Southern Ohio National Day of HOPE campaign by Veteran’s Day, November 11.