Answer:

Larry Pritchard is a colorful character who plays a lot of golf out at the Kennett golf course.

When he gets himself in just the right position he can put a mean whack on a golf ball, and send it a long way. He can hold his own with most players, and beat a number of them.

At this point a non-golfer might feign a yawn, and ask a contemptuous so what? Well, the so what could be temporized with the knowledge that good balance is essential in successfully striking a golf ball, and that Larry manages to accomplish this by firmly planting his good right leg, while maneuvering an artificial left one. Larry had his left leg blown off by a land mine in Vietnam.

Larry gives no quarter, and asks none. His friends sometimes call him "Peg," which he brushes aside with good humor. The nickname is meant with no disrespect, because everyone knows that Larry is perfectly capable of handling himself in the give and take of friendly banter. He can hold his own in hitting a golf ball, and is equally proficient in delivering a verbal zinger to match any of your own.

September 9, 1966, found Corporal Larry Pritchard south of Saigon Station at Cuchi, in Vietnam. He was driving an APC (Army Personnel Carrier) when it struck a land mine. Larry says his own instantaneous thought was that he was a goner. He had bought the farm.

Remaining conscious through the whole thing, and more than a little surprised to still be breathing, Larry was carried to the rear. The damage to the left leg was massive -- extending further than the area they had to amputate. It was to mean 18 months in army hospitals.

The leg was gone, and when Larry was introduced to the prosthesis he was apprehensive. But he found that he adapted to the device faster than some of his fellow amputees. Within a couple of months he was getting around very well.

Larry eventually healed, and came home to renew his life as a civilian. For 25 years he was a route contractor, delivering bulk mail to various post offices in southeast Missouri.

Larry Pritchard is originally from Pocahontas, Arkansas, but has been in Kennett since the sixth grade. He is retired now, and RVs it for a few of the winter months in Arizona.

Larry has played in amputee golf tournaments in England, Scotland and Wales. He has also participated in amputee tournaments in this country, including those with the National Amputee Golf Association. He has brought home some ribbons, but is now honing his game with expectations for some larger trophies.

We are all happy to see that Larry is in good shape, and plans to be around for quite a long time.

The Answer Man will appear on occasion in the Daily Dunklin Democrat, and will provide answers to various and sundry questions about local people, etc. Readers are invited to submit their queries to The Answer Man by e-mailing them to bhunt@dddnews.com.