One Tyndall firefighter was selected for tryouts for the Air Force Softball Team.
If Senior Airman Jonathan C. Marshall, 325th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, makes the cut for the Air Force team, he will play along with 14 other Airmen from around the service in the upcoming Armed Forces Sports Program Softball Tournament from Sept. 13 to 19 in Ft. Sill, Okla. The Air Force team will face other service branches' teams.
"The Armed Forces Sports program was officially established in 1948," the program's website reported. "The AFS program is the culmination of each branch of services' sports and fitness program. Service members participate and compete at unit level intramurals and advance to the All-Service level. The AFS program continues to provide an avenue for military service members to participate in national and international competitions."
Marshall was selected for the tryout camp last year but was tasked with a deployment and unable to participate. While Marshall was down range, tragedy struck his close-knit family when his father, David, was injured in an automobile accident. The Airman admits this changed his outlook-- temporarily.
"I didn't want to play anymore," he said, after returning to Tyndall. "I feel so grateful to Mr. Michael Fowler and Master Sgt. Greg Young in the fire department and my older brother, Jared. Now, I see it is not about me. It is about the team, my family and the Air Force family."
Marshall picked his bat back up and began playing for an intramural baseball team as well as coached a little league.
"God has given me some gifts and a chance to continue to play the game with some amazing teammates," he said. The Jacksonville, Ill. native has only been playing softball for two years, but he first took to the diamond more than two decades ago. His baseball career led to playing for a professional team after college.
His dreams on the ball field changed directions at age 26 while playing for the Sheboygan A's, Wisconsin State Baseball League. After playing a number of years on the college and professional level, producing an impressive .392 batting average, winning the league's all-star home run derby and then recovering from seven surgeries, Marshall felt that it was time for a change.
"I figured it was my time," the centerfielder said, in a previous interview. "It gave me some trials and tribulations. In my playing career, they told me I would never play again, and I played three years longer after they told me that. It keeps me going. It makes me realize you can't have regrets. You take what you can from your past and mold that into your future."
After teaching and coaching baseball at the college level, the Air Force offered Marshall a chance to fulfill another dream--that of being a firefighter, which then also led to his return to the ball field.
If he advances at the Air Force level, there is a chance for Marshall to make the all services team and go on to the Amateur Softball Association Class A National Championship. But, he has other things on his mind right now.
"I'm lucky to represent Tyndall and the Air Force, and I hope to bring home a gold medal," Marshall said.