Bruce McKenty, General Manager for 15 Years! Retires
There are so many heroes amongst us. One of those is our own golf course’s volunteer General Manager, Bruce McKenty. Bruce is retiring after 19 years as a golf course volunteer and 15 years as the General Manager of the American Lake Veterans Golf Course, effective the end of April 2024.
He has, however, assured us he will still be around to assist with the transition to the new volunteer General Manager and Assistant General Manager. And he plans to still be active as a special assistant to the general manager’s office and help wherever needed. He has also been a long-serving director of the Friends of the American Lake Veterans Golf Course since the Spring of 2008 and will continue in that capacity.
Bruce’s commitment to military service began when he was accepted to Texas A&M University where he graduated and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970, followed by his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.
Upon entry into active duty, he completed his basic officer military schooling and went to flight school and an AH -1G Cobra transition enroute to Vietnam. He was assigned to F Troop, 1/9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division at Bien Hoa as an AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter pilot.
During his tour he was wounded twice and has the unique distinction of being one of four Army helicopter pilots who survived after being shot down with an SA-7 heat-seeking missile. During his tour he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and numerous Air Medals, with three being awarded for valor. Bruce went on to spend 21 years in the Army serving in various command and staff assignments in Field Artillery and Aviation and retired in 1991 as a Lieutenant Colonel. After his return to civilian life, he started a new career and worked as a project manager for a major telecommunications company until his final retirement in 2001.
In 2002 he became involved in the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), a veteran’s service organization to help veterans in the State of Washington. His involvement began locally with chapter and state offices, and he ended up 10 years later as the National Commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Following his tenure as National Commander, he was elected to the Purple Heart Foundation, a 501c3 dedicated to raising money for veterans’ causes and is currently its Senior Vice President. He dedicated his life to helping veterans and will continue to do so as long as he is physically able.
In 2005 he combined his love of golf and his passion for service when he found The American Lake Veterans Golf Course located on the grounds of the American Lake VA Hospital in Lakewood, Washington. Bruce’s love for the golf course meshed perfectly with his involvement with the MOPH. One good example of this is how he established an annual Purple Heart Tournament at the golf course to assist in raising funds to purchase equipment and golf carts.
His initial involvement at the golf course revolved around assisting the general manager with whatever was needed. He began coordinating with the VA and the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Lewis. The Warrior Transition Battalion efforts eventually became weekly training programs for those who wanted to learn to play golf and two tournaments per year for the entire battalion.
In the years that followed, he started the course marshal program and assisted in managing the construction of the covered driving range and covered activity center. He then designed and managed construction of the new 8500 square foot clubhouse, followed by the new Jack Nicklaus-designed $3.5 million back nine holes, and $2.3 million renovation of the old front nine. He was also instrumental in an on-going program to systematically replace the fleet of well-used maintenance equipment and driving golf carts. Initially, this was done through support of the 501c3 and later through numerous golf tournaments, aggressive fundraising efforts, and a golf cart sponsorship program. His final projects are the complete replacement of the driving range nets, improvements to the driving range itself, and completion of asphalt cart paths for the entire 18 holes.
Bruce wishes to thank all those hard-working volunteers who made all this possible. It could not have happened without them.
And, we must mention his partner and biggest fan, his wife Francine who has been volunteering as the finance officer since 2012. She joins Bruce in retirement as she hands off her duties.
Thank you, Bruce and Francine, for your years of service to our Veterans, their families, and our community! We look forward to still seeing you here often where you can golf and enjoy this beautiful golf course between your travel adventures.