Here's the story: Willie McCool was a runner at the Naval Academy. The golf course, as often happens at universities, was also the site of X-C races, given its topography. In his final race, McCool ran a PR and led his team to victory. 'Twixt the 14th green and 15th tee deck, there is a monument to McCool and his performance (and a little bit more.) At that point in the race, he was 16 minutes from home.
The "little bit more" is this: Willie McCool was the pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003. As many of us remember, this was the mission that disintegrated over Texas. McCool worked tirelessly until the end, trying every option to bring his ship to port. At the moment when contact with the ship was lost, the Columbia was 16 minutes from its touch down.
As you can imagine, my knees nearly buckled, and I took a series of deep breaths. The entire weekend (graduation of one of my former golfers, now an ensign in the US Navy) was an introduction to the service and sacrifice of the military of the world. Even at 53, there is much for me to learn.
I'll put images of the monument on my Instagram feed (@buffalogolfer) now.