Memorial Day Baseball

Over the Memorial Day weekend I always have a busy American Legion baseball schedule full of games. We host a couple of games on Saturday and end the weekend with a doubleheader on Sunday. Since the American Legion has a number of participants that are war veterans we always do a special salute to the older players before the games begin.
American Legion baseball is the past time of a lot of older American citizens. Baseball use to be the all-American sport that everyone would love to enjoy on a nice summer afternoon. The American Legion has tons of war veterans that once played baseball through the program and their stories are remembered at our tournaments.
One individual who I remember speaking left a lasting memory with me. His name was Gene and he once played American Legion baseball for the team I play with now. He went to war when he was no older than 18 and he told us a couple of his stories.
He started with his baseball memories, playing with his buddies and how the bond he held could never of been stronger. He explained that when he went to war he lost a couple of his best friends and he was changed forever. He ended his story in a very memorable way, he laid his hat on the ground and started crying. He saluted his lost friends and told everyone how he is reminded of his friends through American Legion baseball. It was pretty upsetting and eye opening, because that could be me in fifty years...