A dozen boys and a soldier were chosen

John Laird had an very good article in the June 18 Columbian titled, "A dozen boys and a soldier were chosen"*. Laird contrasts his Little League coaching experience this year with that of Sgt. Brian Radke, a local soldier who was critcally injured on Oct 5 of 2005. The picture he paints provides a glimpse of what is important in life, courage, sacrifice, and the existence of that which is greater than ourselves.

Six 11-year-old rookies weren't sure what would happen at their first meeting of the Hazel Dell Cardinals ... "Look at me and listen carefully," I announced. "I want you to focus on just three words: You were chosen."

"You're here because the coaches chose you. At the tryouts, we watched the way you arrived, the way you talked to your parents, the way you stood in line and the way you acted around your friends.

"We chose you for more reasons than just baseball. So you can be sure that this is where you belong."

Laird explained of his team's struggles and his challenge to them:

"As long as you have BR-USA embroidered on the side of your baseball caps, I will never allow you to feel sorry for yourselves. Get your chins up. There's no pouting in baseball."

As the story unfolds, you realize that BR-USA on their caps and their baseball season was dedicated to Sgt. Brian Radke:

... for the first time in 15 years of coaching, I saw 12 boys play for someone other than just themselves. I saw a dozen clumsy knuckleheads rally around five initials that stood for one soldier.
Oct. 5 in Baghdad is why the boys of BR-USA stopped feeling sorry for themselves while playing a silly game.

Laird continued:

Most baseball caps have a fairly short shelf life. After a year or two, they're gone. But I know a dozen boys who'll keep their BR-USA caps for many years to come, maybe for the rest of their lives. They'll do this not because of baseball, but because they'll need a reminder whenever they start to feel sorry for themselves.

Sgt. Brian Radke came home, and he heard three words from Hazel Dell Little League folks about their 2006 season: You were chosen.

*Article is available on The Columbian web site for four weeks.