Associated Press
It wasn’t about the 35-10 lopsided score, the former major leaguers in attendance or the lightning that delayed the game by 30 minutes. Friday night was about giving wounded servicemen who put their lives on the line a chance to shine again.
"I played baseball all my life," said Saul Bosquez, a Michigan native and Army veteran who lost his leg in Baghdad in 2007. "I played baseball in college and once I got tired of college I joined the Army and got hurt, and sports was a big thing in my rehab, and once they started this team I was all over it."
The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, aptly nicknamed Body Parts, played against the FBI All Stars at George Mason University's Fairfax Campus. The GMU softball team was there to show their support as was Michael Young and Paul Blair, who both played with the Baltimore Orioles during their major league careers.
"I sort of put together what I like to do and what I do for work and I came up with the idea for the very first all-amputee softball team in the world," head coach David Van Sleet said.
Van Sleet is part of the Department of Veteran Affairs and has worked in prosthetics for more than 30 years. He obtained a congressional grant to fly the team out to Tuscon, where they practiced at the University of Arizona. The FBI All Stars team comprises FBI special agents all based in the Washington, D.C., area.
The Diamond Dream Foundation (DDF) presented the Wounded Warriors with a $5,000 donation. Louisville Slugger outfitted the team with bats and gear.
Like Bosquez, all members of the amputee team were wounded while serving in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
"It's awesome to see people come out and support us," said Bosquez who lost his left leg when a bomb went off by his Humvee in Afghanistan. "It's great to see that people are aware of what’s going on and wanting to see us play like this."
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