All of us here at American Disposal and Recycling are
committed to supporting the men and women who dedicate, risk and sacrifice their lives to protect the liberties that make America truly the land of the free and
the home of the brave.
This year, we were able to contribute to that cause and say ‘Thank
You’ to some of those inspiring individuals. The Dave Harris Memorial Billfish Tournament, an annual charity billfishing tournament, partnered with Wounded Warriors in Action, a national non-profit
organization dedicated to serving our nation's combat wounded, Purple Heart
recipients by providing world-class outdoor sporting activities. American was proud to do our part in sponsoring the event.
The tournament was started in the 80s as a family trip for the Harris family, which grew incrementally over the years to include friends and members of the community.
Formerly known as the “Cinco de Mayo Billfish Tournament”; the
Harris family changed the name in 2008 after they lost their beloved brother,
Dave Harris, to melanoma and renamed the tournament to honor his memory.
Organizers of The Dave Harris Memorial Billfish Tournament
reached out to Wounded Warriors in Action, who normally only facilitates 40
outings per year. They gladly agreed to make it 41 this year to accommodate the
tournament, so these brave veterans could have the chance to take part in the exciting
event.
The veterans in attendance this year included Justin
Constantine, who was shot in the head by a sniper while on a combat patrol in
Iraq; Gabe Martinez, who lost both legs after stepping on an IED on his 2nd
deployment in Afghanistan; Arthur Rizer, who suffered a traumatic brain injury
from an IED explosion while embedded with Iraqi Special Forces and Raymond
Kusch, who lost his left leg to an IED. Raymond is still recovering at Walter Reed
in Bethesda.
These brave wounded warriors were also joined by a representative of the
American family as well; one of the founders of our GreenStream program, Mark O’Brien, who
described the tournament as inspiring. “It’s healing for them and beneficial for
us to see that and say, ‘You know what, I have no room to complain.’”
American Disposal was honored to sponsor this inspiring
event; the sponsorship included full accommodations of the trip and tournament for
one of these brave and selfless warriors.
Read more about this year's tournament in an article from the Fairfax Times at www.fairfaxtimes.com
As we approach Memorial Day, we wanted to take a moment to
thank these brave veterans; as well as all our veterans, and all those who have fallen; for their service to
our Country and for upholding the freedom that makes it possible for small
family owned companies such as our own, to have the ability and
honor to touch so many lives in the community, through events such as this one.
Happy Memorial Day!
And as always,
Thanks for Reading!
