Dan Rooney featured in USA Weekend 'heroes' story
Fri, Jul 3, 2009 
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BY KYLE MORONEY
kmoroney@grandhaventribune.com
Maj. Dan Rooney's life changed three years ago as he looked outside an airplane window.
That moment that inspired Rooney's passion to help military families has garnered the attention of USA Weekend.
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Rooney, a co-owner of the Grand Haven Golf Club and F-16 fighter pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, will grace the cover of this weekend's national magazine — making a perfect patriotic fit for the Fourth of July holiday.
"When I was picked (for a story) I thought, 'Wow! I read that every Sunday. How cool,'" Rooney, 36, said from his Tulsa, Okla., home.
The upcoming USA Weekend magazine — which reaches an estimated 49.2 million American homes every weekend, according to its Web site — will feature five organizations that, in some way, help military families in a series titled "Helping our heroes: 5 organizations that do good."
"It's basically a profile of the many wonderful nonprofits that have come out of two world conflicts since 9/11," said Dennis McCafferty, a USA Weekend senior staff writer in McLean, Va. "We thought this was a nice, touching way for people to get inspired to launch these sort of efforts."
Rooney's Folds of Honor Foundation will be featured in the magazine, which will be distributed with Saturday's Grand Haven Tribune.
"It's a wonderful medium to spread the good word about the foundation and our commitment in helping military families in the future," said Rooney, who has been a spotlight in a number of articles, including one in People Magazine in December 2008. "This is just one of the many blessings in telling our story."
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The Folds of Honor Foundation raises college money for spouses or children of military personnel who died or have become disabled while in combat.
"We thought he was a perfect fit and wanted to include him in the mix," McCafferty said of Rooney and the scholarship program he established.
A writer from USA Weekend contacted Rooney a couple of months ago regarding a story about the Folds of Honor Foundation; then a photographer visited his Tulsa home a few weeks ago.
"I had no idea I was going to be on the cover," said Rooney, who is also a PGA golf professional.
In fact, Rooney was unaware of the national magazine's cover shot until last week when he was contacted by the Grand Haven Tribune.
"This is very powerful for the foundation and the families we help," Rooney said.
The USA Weekend story depicts the defining moment Rooney decided to establish the Folds of Honor Foundation. It happened during a 2006 plane ride from Chicago to Grand Rapids.
"After the plane touched down that night, the pilot announced to the passengers that a hero was on board. That hero was Cpl. Brock Bucklin, who died in Iraq," McCafferty wrote. "... The pilot asked the passengers to remain on the plane until Bucklin's body had been taken off. Rooney dutifully complied, and he looked outside his window to see the young man's family greeting the casket."
Bucklin's son, Jacob Green, 4, was also standing outside the airplane, weeping for his father.
The foundation has grown nationwide, raising more than $3.5 million in college scholarships dispersed to about 500 military families — including Jacob Green.
Rooney has also teamed up with the PGA for Patriot Golf Day, where golfers across America add an extra $1 to their golf fees or make a donation that will go to the foundation. This year's Patriot Golf Day — the foundation's primary fundraiser — is scheduled for Sept. 4-7.
"It's truly amazing the spirit of American citizens willing to support military families," said Rooney, who visited Grand Haven a few weeks ago with his father, John Rooney, for the Grand Haven Golf Club's Fallen Heroes Golf Outing. "It was great to be back in Grand Haven. This is where it all started."
