GCBAA Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

GCBAA Goes All-In Extreme Makeover Home Edition Harris Family

From left: Aaron Perez, Miguel Perez, and Mike Perez of VM Golf; Dennis Wagner of Ewing Irrigation; Jon O’Donnell of Heritage Links, and GCBAA Executive Director Justin Apel.

Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris’ Humvee hit an IED while on patrol in Iraq in February 2007. In that blast, he lost his ears, part of his nose, some fingers, and over a third of the skin on his body. He also lost three of his best friends. What followed was an agonzing road to recovery which began with nearly two months in a medically induced coma, and he spent nearly three years in the burn unit of Brooke Army Medical Center.

When Shilo retired from the military in 2010, he and his wife, Kat, dedicated their lives to helping other wounded soldiers.

Shilo began a career as a motivational speaker, and he and Kat began working with the U.S Army Wounded Warrior Project.

In 2012, Shilo was chosen to be the recipient of a new home courtesy of ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Designed to be a comfortable, relaxing oasis where Shilo could be protected from the dust and heat, the new home featured state-ofthe-art air filtration and heating/cooling systems.

ABC Television Network producers approached the GCBAA to assist with the build. GCBAA members Jon O’Donnell of Heritage Links, Dennis Wagner and Joseph Sadler of Ewing Irrigation, Aaron Perez, Miguel Perez, and Mike Perez of VM Golf, and GCBAA Executive Director Justin Apel joined the construction crew. Using products donated by GCBAA member companies ADS/Hancor, Sandmat, and Ewing Irrigation, the crew transformed an ordinary backyard into a place where Shilo and his family could play together and get some exercise on their very own chipping area and private putting green. The episode aired on ABC December 10, 2012.

On Tuesday, February 24, 2015, Shilo Harris joined members from the GCBAA and ASGCA in San Antonio, Texas for the 2015 GCBAA Winter Meeting Opening Reception and Don A. Rossi Award Ceremony. For the first time, Shilo was able to meet and shake hands with the GCBAA members who helped build his home. The John F. Kennedy High School JROTC Color Guard presented the colors and were joined by GCBAA members Paul Granger and Bill Lakel to sing the National Anthem. Shilo took the stage, sharing the story of his accident and the long road to recovery. Afterward, he greeted guests and signed copies of his book both at the reception and in the GCBAA Foundation booth at the Golf Industry Show.

GCBAA Executive Director Justin Apel and members Mike Perez, Jon O’Donnell, and Dennis Wagner presented Shilo with a custom made book commemorating the experience they shared helping to build his new home. Inside the front cover, they inscribed a special message.

From left: Mike Perez, Justin Apel, Shilo Harris, Jon O’Donnell, and Dennis Wagner at the 2015 GCBAA Winter Meeting Opening Reception in San Antonio, Texas.