The writer of this entry is a Red Sox fan, so he’s paying close attention to the World Series. He’s also been fascinated with the source of the helmet worn by outfielder Jonny Gomes during playoff-related celebrations, something about which Gomes has been elusive, other than mentioning it’s been “battle tested.” Well, Gomes is correct — it’s been battle tested, alright, and it’s also appeared in a war zone. Army Master Sgt. Miguel Chacon’s relationship with Gomes dates back to earlier this season, when Gomes saw the soldier in the crowd and tossed him a pair of batting gloves. Chacon,…
Author Sean Smyth
Not much else is known about the event, other than this tidbit appearing on Boston.com, a web publication of The Boston Globe: Three surviving Medal of Honor recipients will be honored at Fenway Park before Game 1 of the World Series begins Wednesday. According to Peter Abraham, soldiers Salvatore Giunta, Clinton Romesha and William Swenson will be recognized before the first pitch. First pitch for the series opener between the Cardinals and Red Sox is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. In addition, Abraham reported, retired Marine Sgt. Dan Clark will perform “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Army captured the men’s and women’s titles for a second consecutive year in the Armed Forces Softball Tournament held last week at Fort Sill, Okla. Air Force finished runner-up in both brackets. The Army women beat Air Force in the championship game Sept. 18, 6-3. Army finished the tournament unbeaten and went 8-0 in round-robin play. The Army men won their gold medal Sept. 19, beating Air Force, 23-8. In this game, Army never trailed, taking control of the game with a 10-run fourth inning. Army scored 217 runs in nine games, an average of 24.1 runs per game. The…
A Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., recently set powerlifting world records in a competition in Las Vegas. Staff Sgt. Matthew Reep, assault chief of Division Schools, 1st Marine Division, set marks for a 165-pound person at 391 lbs. on the bench press, 556 lbs. on the deadlift, and 1,396 lbs. in combined weight for a bench press, deadlift and squats. Reep, 39, said he excelled in weightlifting in high school. He has competed in six national powerlifting championship tournaments since 2009, winning 11 events, according to a Marine Corps news release. “Ever since I started lifting I always just…
I’m always a sucker for stories that come from my home town, Boston, but this one is pretty neat. Andrew Shaughnessy is a 20-year-old kid in the Army for a couple years now. For a month after his recent deployment to Afghanistan, Shaughnessy performed more service, this time as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, South Boston High School. Like many other inner city programs, Southie High’s football budget is minimal: low four figures, at best, and not allowing for many optional purchases, other than mandatory helmet reconditioning. Shaughnessy saw this, and he opened up his wallet: he…
The opening day of the AT&T National golf tournament, held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., had a military flare to it, as it usually does. But it went above and beyond standard fare. In addition to a Black Hawk flyover and a performance by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team, there was an appearance by a Medal of Honor recipient — not every PGA Tour event can claim that. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, who received the Medal of Honor last year, spoke during the opening ceremonies. Petry was participating in a house-clearing operation in…
First there was last year’s Quicken Loans Carrier Classic aboard Carl Vinson in San Diego Harbor, matching two historic college basketball programs, Michigan State and North Carolina. Then there is the slew of games scheduled atop decommissioned flattops for this season. Now that playing atop a carrier in the elements is passé, Michigan State is moving farther afield. The Spartans will play perennial power UConn in November at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, MSU’s athletic director said Tuesday. Mark Hollis did note that this game is awaiting final approval from DoD, and I’m guessing the brass won’t allow for a game…
As you know by now, the Army baseball team’s best season (in terms of total wins, 41) is over, the Black Knights the victim of a 10th-inning single from Oklahoma’s Max White in a 2-1 loss. Here are some photos from Army’s three-day adventure in Charlottesville, Va., at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. The entire regional tournament was pushed back a day after monsoon rains invaded central Virginia last Friday.
The story’s been making the rounds for the past few days, about how a young boy rescued by Coast Guard crews walked across the stage at today’s commencement ceremonies at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. What you may not know is that Ensign Orlando Morel, that rescued boy, was a big contributor to Coast Guard’s swimming team. Morel was one of the Bears’ top divers, regularly capturing wins in the 1- and 2-meter dives. Nearly 20 years have passed since Morel’s rescue, but the story still resonates. “I don’t think that anything I can do will be…
