Boat poker run combines fun, camaraderie for veterans
Photo by Clay Lomneth/American Legion

Boat poker run combines fun, camaraderie for veterans

More than 150 speed boats from all across North America raced around Lake Havasu in Arizona recently for the Desert Storm Poker Run, an 18-year tradition.

The poker run is less about the card game and more about building a community and fostering friendships, including veterans. During the event, the boat crews zoom across the lake, stop at five different locations and select a card in a sealed envelope. The crew with the best hand of cards win a monetary prize.

The event’s Desert Storm name is a reference to the location (Lake Havasu is in the middle of a desert) and the initial Gulf War operation of the same name. Veterans are welcomed by organizers and participants, who give them VIP passes and “adopt” them on their boats.

One such team was the Dave Crow racing team which featured a Dave’s Custom Boat M35 with twin 1075 cubic engines. Along with one lucky veteran (me), the 35-foot catamaran boat crew included Crow, his wife, Windy Burke, and their 13-year-old daughter. In fairly choppy water the boat was still able to hit slightly over 150 mph.

The race promoter, Lakeracer LLC, expects to send a donation of $1,500 to Grand Canyon River Runners Association for its wounded veteran river rafting project. The group plans to escort two dozen wounded veterans down the Grand Canyon this summer, similar to its initial trip last year.

The American Legion was involved with the poker run. Arizona Post 81 hosted the veterans for a barbecue rib night, when local Legionnaires dropped by to visit those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Paul Cox, commander of the Robert A. Eckert post, welcomed veterans, saying, “It’s so great that we are honored by having these veterans, most of them wounded in service to our country, come here and spend the evening among their fellow veterans. We’re honored to have you here, and we hope you enjoy your time with us.”

During the week, veterans were treated to other boat rides, rides on jet skis, tubing behind motor boats, a street fair featuring some of the major boats in the poker run, and a parade of boats that went under the famed London Bridge, a replica of the one spanning the Thames River in England. Veterans were also treated to meals and drinks by various civic groups including the Legion, and also spent time shooting rifles at a local range and fishing.

Paul Jenkins, a Marine veteran who served with 1st battalion, 7th Marines, during Operation Enduring Freedom, was grateful for the opportunity to attend. “I had a great time on the poker run in Lake Havasu,” said Jenkins, who suffers from PTSD. “It was really great to get to meet and share experiences with other veterans who are experiencing a lot of the same things that I am. Honestly, the boats were just an added bonus.”

Dave Gill, who attended the first Grand Canyon trip, is a Marine from Lake Havasu who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before he was injured. In around 2003, Gill told his mom, Karen Gill, that he was concerned because many of the guys in his unit didn’t have family members who were sending packages.

“My mom went way off the deep end, where we used to have a garage, we suddenly had boxes and boxes of stuff she was mailing overseas, including things like air conditioners, laptop computers, coffee, and so much more she shipped to us,” he remembered.

For her part, Karen Gill was invited to be a military liaison for the Desert Storm Poker Run.

“Supporting our military men and women comes very easy in one of the most patriotic communities in the nation, an entire community of organizations and individuals who all come together to ensure our troops know just how thankful and respectful we all are,” she said. “Yes, I'm a little over the top when it comes to showing our troops we care. There is nothing more heartwarming than rolling out the extreme red carpet treatment and show a few some well-deserved rest and recuperation.”