The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

A hush fell over the crowd of paralyzed military heroes, war veterans, poker celebrities, and supporters of the American dream as poker pro Kenna James belted out, "Oh, say can you see ..."

The charity fund-raiser for the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), held in Washington, D.C. had now formally commenced.

I felt like I'd hit the lottery when Mike Sexton invited me to fly on his hired jet so that we could make it from Las Vegas to Washington, DC and back in 30 hours. There were six of us on the flight, including poker pros Marsha Waggoner, Linda Johnson, Kenna James, Mike and Karen Sexton, and me.

Arriving about 8 a.m. we went straight to the hotel to catch some sleep, but at noon Linda and I made a trip to Maryland to visit and old friend we hadn't seen in years. Returning in time to change clothes for the event we joined the others in a mock poker room where we each provided some quick poker tips and then watched and critiqued some of the play.

We moved to the ballroom where we met some of the military forces who'd been injured in action. Having recently had shoulder surgery, I was in awe of these guys who were trying to help me with my jacket, chair, and plate during the buffet. Some of the vets even told me they thought of their paralysis as a gift because a new world opened to them that they hadn't previously known. That's courage, my friends.

The event was fun. There were rebuys with all of the money going to the charity ... but for $500 you got to play more and the money was flying. At one point, a paralyzed vet went broke. As he began to wheel away from the table, a stranger threw down the rebuy money to get him back in action. The event raised $100,000. Race track legend Richard Petty was the event's host, along with Mike Sexton. Other notable poker pros in attendance were Rhett Butler, Lee Childs, and Rick Rahim.

There was a silent auction of sports memorabilia, wine and gift packages, spa treatments, travel packages, dinners at fine spots, and more. The bidding was furious and the attendees were proud to overpay for the donated items knowing it was money so well spent.

After Linda, Marsha, and I went broke in the event, we were taken by an army colonel and a major on a night tour of DC. At 11 p.m. I was standing at the fully-lit Lincoln Memorial reading the Gettysburg Address. We saw the Pentagon, Washington Monument, Capitol and the White House. I met many new friends and know I will have even more fun next year when we do it again.

Mike Sexton summed things up when he said, "I am honored to be here with the Michael Jordan of NASCAR, Richard Petty, and the Tiger Woods of charities, the PVA. PVA is the most worthwhile charity in the world and we are here to help them raise money so they can do some serious good."