America celebrates Veterans Day every year on November 11. Family members, friends, and other acquaintances of US Military veterans often post meaningful messages for them and thank them for their service to the country. Tiger Woods, the legendary golfer, also used his social media to thank the veterans in previous years; After all, his late father used to be one. 

“Thank you veterans for your selfless acts, courage and strength in protecting our freedom and keeping our country safe,” he wrote on Instagram in 2019. “Grateful to my Pops, and all of you, for your service.” 

Notably, when the 15-time major champion posted this, his father had already passed away. Earl Woods was 74 when he died of cancer in 2006 at his home in Cypress, California. He was well-known in the golf world for being the first teacher of Tiger Woods. 

Earl Woods was a military man before he started training Tiger Woods to become the G. O. A. T. 

After becoming the first African American baseball player in the Big Eight Conference, Earl Woods served his country by becoming a part of the US Army Special Forces. Notably, his second tour in Vietnam during the war helped him meet Kultida Punsawad, the golfer’s mother. 

Furthermore, he met fellow lieutenant colonel Nguyen T. Phong in Vietnam, whose nickname ‘Tiger’ Earl Woods used as a nickname for his son. Woods sr. served two tours of duty as a Green Beret in Vietnam and taught in the Army until his retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 1974. 

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After serving his country, Earl Woods moved to Cypress, California, and raised and trained his son to become the best golfer. He also wrote two books, ‘Training a Tiger’ and ‘Playing Through’, regarding the training he gave to his son. 

The golfer credits his father for training him to become a good golfer

It is not a secret that Earl Woods’ training sessions were not easy. However, it helped his son to become the Tiger Woods we see today, the face of the sport. Not only does his father, but his mother also made contributions on her part to help her son have a good future. 

“You have to understand I got to this position because of my upbringing, having two unbelievable parents,” he said in his World Golf Hall of Fame acceptance speech. “I know that golf is an individual sport. We do things on our own a lot, for hours on end,” he added. “But in my case, I didn’t get here alone.” 

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Woods loved his father. And these messages that he sent through social media on Veterans Day are just an example of how much respect he still has for him.