HEROES IN THE BATTLEFIELD AND ON THE BASEBALL DIAMOND

By Debbie Bulloch



I am not a big fan of baseball. Unlike basketball, baseball is just not all that exciting to watch. I am however, a big fan of college football and I am an even bigger fan of my beloved USC Trojan football team. GO TROJANS!

Occasionally, however, I will follow our two local baseball teams - the L.A. Dodgers and the California Angels. This usually occurs only when they make it to the playoffs. One of my closest friends was born in Cuba where baseball has near cult status, and so I listen to him go on about all the Cuban players that have played in the Major Leagues and how, if there had been no Castro and no embargo, there would be a lot more Cubans playing baseball in the USA. Other than that, however, baseball is a big yawner for me.

But there was something about Sgt. Feliz Perez story that caught my attention, even if it was baseball related. There is something about a “feel good” story that just makes you feel…good. In the current political and economic climate there are few stories that can elevate our mood; in fact, most of the current news is not just bad, some of it is REALLY bad (have you been following the story about the obscene bonuses paid to executives from bailout-welfare-recipient AGI Insurance).

So this morning when I read about Sgt. Perez’ experience during the USA vs. Puerto Rico baseball game my mood was automatically elevated. Yes, the USA team facing a must-win situation beat Puerto Rico’s team in the ninth (last) inning of the game. But what really uplifted my spirits is what happened to Sgt. Perez and his little sister Jessica at the end of the game.

Sgt. Perez is one of the many unsung heroes who at a very early age volunteered to go and fight our country’s war. For his trouble, Sgt. Perez was wounded in battle and must now use a wheel chair. (NOTE: All of you pacifists and other opponents of the war please put aside your sentiments about the war; instead, take a moment to think about the brave men and women who are willing to march into battle just so that we may all sleep safe at night. There will be other opportunities here to discuss the relative merits of the current war. I promise.)

Apparently, Sgt. Perez is also a big baseball fan. On Tuesday night, he and his little sister Jessica were in attendance when Team America engineered an improbable come-from-behind victory over the Puerto Rican team. At the end of the game Sgt. Perez maneuvered his wheel chair down to one of the stadium’s gate. Once there, he sought to have an American flag that he was carrying him during the game, signed by a few of the players. This American flag has very special meaning for Sgt. Perez. You see, Sgt. Perez’s American flag has traveled half way around the world. Sgt. Perez carried the flag when he fought in Afghanistan and he carried it when he fought in Iran. After he was wounded in combat and sent back to the States for medical treatment, Sgt. Perez brought the flag back with him as a reminder of where he had been. Last Tuesday night Sgt. Perez carried the flag with him when Team America won.

What happened after Sgt. Perez made his simple request to have the flag signed by the players is the kind of stuff that can bring tears to one’s eyes. For thirty short minutes Sgt. Perez found himself in the middle of a dream that even he could not have imagined when he was carrying his flag into battle in Afghanistan’s dry deserts or Iran’s burning valleys. Of course, this is not just a story about what happened to Sgt. Perez and his flag. This is also a story about what a bunch of baseball jocks did, in one magical night, when they won a very tough game and afterwards filled with joy and hope the heart of one young American war veteran.

Sgt. Perez’s sacrifice, at an age when most young people are still thinking about fun stuff such as going out on dates with friends, is remarkable and helped keep us safe. (He enlisted at age 17; I look at my own 17 year old daughter and I cannot even begin to imagine her in a uniform and going into battle carrying a rifle in her hands). Team America’s generous gesture brings a smile to all of us. Both Sgt. Perez and Team America are part of a great American tradition of sacrifice and generosity. At a time when most of the news is filled with negativity, the story of Sgt. Perez and Team America make me proud to be an American.


(Photo courtesy of the Perez family. Published by Yahoo Sports. All rights fully reserved by the individual copyright holders.)

For a complete account of what happened to Sgt. Perez on St. Patrick’s Day, please follow the link below and read the wonderful story by writer Jeff Pasan.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-perezteamusa031809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns