After sustaining an injury on one of several tours in Iraq, Josh Peyton returned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC to recover for 2 years. It was there that Josh began regularly playing golf with colleagues who were recovering from injuries themselves. After being discharged from the hospital, Josh began to miss the camaraderie of his weekly rounds of golf.

At a career crossroads, Josh had no clue what he wanted to do next. He only knew that he wanted to help others. It was then that Josh took his savings from deployments and started the Veteran Golfers Association. The VGA is a nonprofit organization that hosts several hundred local golf tournaments per year across the U.S.

Since it’s inception in 2014, the VGA has not lost a single member to suicide. They just recently surpassed 10,000 members nationwide. Josh and I chatted about his introduction to the game, his time spent overseas, using golf as a recovery tool, founding and scaling the VGA, and the significance of this year’s VGA Championship.

Josh is the embodiment of selflessness and a true patriot.

You can find the VGA on Twitter (@VGAgolf), Instagram (@vgagolf), and their website (vgagolf.org). Please visit their website to find out how you can get involved.