ATSUGI NAVAL AIR FACILITY, Japan — Strike Fighter Squadron 195 is organizing a golf tournament July 30 to benefit the children of Lt. Nathan White, a VFA-195 pilot killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Proceeds will be donated to White’s Children’s Fund at Community Bank for his daughter Courtney, 8, and sons Austin, 5, and Zachary, 3.
White was last seen alive April 2, when he launched from the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk on a night-strike mission.
He never returned.
White is the only naval aviator lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is survived by his wife, Akiko and his three children.
White “loved golf more than anything except his family,” said Lt. Brandon Sellers, a VFA-195 pilot and squadron mate of White’s.
White’s golf handicap was 10. He once banked a hole-in-one and constantly strived to improve his game, Sellers said, adding, “This was the best way we could think of to honor him and raise money for his children.”
The golf tournament will be at Whispering Pines Golf Course. The format is a four-man scramble, with 48 teams. There is an entry fee of $300 per team, or $75 for individuals.
Individuals will be assigned to a team.
The tournament is open to Kanto Plain residents with ID cards issued under the status of forces agreement.
Prizes from Ping and Callaway, among others, go to the top three teams and to the golfer with the longest drive and shot closest to the pin. Door prizes will also be given away. All entrants will receive a player pack of various items.
Shotgun starts — with all teams teeing off simultaneously from all 18 holes, then playing around the course — are at 6:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Registration is at 6 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sign-up deadline is July 25.
For more information or to sign-up, contact VFA-195 at 264-3222 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., or e-mail don.moore@cvw5.navy.mil, or brandon.sellers@cvw5.navy.mil.
