29-03-2025
Local Vietnam Veteran, battles through adversity, bowls his first perfect 300
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – March 29th marks National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day to recognize, remember, and celebrate the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country.
In honor of the national holiday, we sat down with a Navy Vietnam Veteran, whose accomplishments go beyond the battle field, and straight to the bowling alley.
Bill Winkler has been bowling for his entire life, and just recently, joined the record books, bowling his first ever perfect game.
'I was shaking like a leaf,' Bill explained. 'I threw the last ball, then stood their saying walk into the pocket. Then boom it hit, and everybody screamed. I put my up in the air. it was so awesome.'
In order to make it to this point, Bill has been forced to over come many challenges.
During his time in the war, Bill tells me he was carrying a man over his shoulder, when he was hit with shrapnel from a mortar bomb.
'The adrenaline was going, I didn't realize I was hit,' he says. 'I though it was just a cramp from carrying him. It wasn't until the guys told me I was hit that I realized.'
His leg would eventually recover, but injuries later in life, including one from a short stint in the NFL, where he tore his MCL in his first and only game, would cause problems down the road, until his doctor gave him two options.
'He said he had to either take my leg or I was going to die,' Bill said. 'I said stick a peg leg on me so I can still play golf!'
Becoming an amputee was just one of the many adversities Bill has faced throughout his life though. In 2005, he was diagnosed with Lymphocytic Leukemia, and told he had just a matter of weeks to live.
'I fought for six months at Strong Memorial hospital,' says Bill. 'Thank God they saved my life. I just fought, I wouldn't give up. They walked in and told my mother to be prepared, because I was stage four. I watched my mom go down onto the floor crying, and that gave me my fight.'
Bill says that his mother played a huge part in him becoming cancer-free, and that even after, he would tell her all about his athletic achievements, including a hole-in-one on two separate golfing trips.
Sadly, in 2020, his mother tested positive for COVID-19, and passed away shortly after.
'She was 92 years old, and she said she was going to meet her husband,' Bill said. 'I got to see her on the last day. I squeezed her had. She looked at me and squeezed my hand back. She rolled over and that was it.'
Now, Bill says he has found a new sense of family and community among his fellow veterans, many of whom he bowls with in his many weekly leagues.
'If I see a veteran, I always make it a point to say thank you for your service,' he explains. ' They say thank you for yours, and I say it was my honor to serve. I may have lost a leg, but it was my honor to serve my country.'
Even with this newfound community, Bill agrees that life as a veteran, especially one from Vietnam, still comes with challenges.
'I just wish that the guys from Vietnam were treated a little better, because we got dumped on when we got back home,' Bill says, reflecting on his time in the war. 'People just don't realize the traumatic things that you see when your in a war. Its very hard to go through that and come back to normal life, without reliving some of those things.'
Even after going through a war, battling cancer, losing his leg, and losing his mother, Bill has still found a way to be one of the most positive and joy men you can ever meet. he credits his attitude on life to his time in the Navy.
'On time. On target. Never quit.' Bill recites. 'The only tough day was yesterday. Today is today. I got out of bed. I'm above ground. They keep trying to put me in the ground, but I'm not going anywhere.'
Through it all, Bill still see's his 300 score as one of his greatest achievements. He says as soon as the final pin dropped, his mother was the first person he though about, hoping she was still looking down on him, beaming with pride.
'I looked up in the air, put my hands up, and just said 'I did it',' Bill recalls. 'She was always there and always supported me. It was so great to just look up and say thanks. When they gave me the prosthetic, I continued to bowl and play golf, and she was proud of that.'
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