Technical Sergeant Joseph Byrne joined the U.S. Air Force as soon as he could after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  He knew he wanted to serve in a combat-oriented job.  During his ten years in the Air Force, he deployed five times and served first as a TACP for two deployments (OEF and OIF) and then crossed over to the red beret of the Combat Controller.

During Byrne’s second tour while in Marjah, Afghanistan as a Combat Controller, he was shot in the neck, shoulder and hand.  After four surgeries over the course of one year, Byrne was able to return to deployment status.  Golf played an intricate role both physically and mentally in his short recovery. 

Byrne married his wife, Kelly before he deployed back to Afghanistan.  On his fifth tour he decided to hang up his combat boots.  For his service, some of Byrne’s military awards include The Pitsenbarger Award, Bronze Star with Valor, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Following his service, Byrne and his wife, Kelly, moved to her hometown of San Antonio, Texas.  There he began college and became a parent. Prior to his college graduation in the summer of 2017 from Texas A&M college of Geoscience, Byrne and Kelly had a boy, Sawyer and a girl, Charlotte.  As for golf, “Golf kept me from dropping out of a very demanding geology program”. 

Currently, Byrne works in San Antonio for T3i, a government contracting company that serves the Air Force in Special Operations Development.  He plans on pursuing his masters in geology and looks forward to the day he will become a scratch golfer.  Until then he’ll keep playing 18 holes with his Son Sawyer and his father-in-law.