ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As one Soldier was honored for his sacrifice and military service, 54 future Soldiers were just beginning their careers in the Florida Army National Guard.
Sgt. 1st Class Steve Holloway, a Florida National Guard Soldier who was injured in Iraq earlier this year and now partially paralyzed, threw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the Tampa Bay Devils Rays and Florida Marlins baseball game at Tropicana Field, Sunday, May 20. Holloway, in a wheelchair, was accompanied to the pitcher's mound by his six-year-old son Stevie and threw the ball to applause and cheers from the stands.
"It's a little overwhelming," Holloway, who is receiving medical treatment in Tampa, said of the attention he received at the baseball game. "The hardest part about it for me is getting all the recognition when I feel that the guys who didn't make it back are the ones that really deserve all of it."
Holloway, a former recruiter for the National Guard, volunteered to deploy to Iraq with the Orlando-based 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, with the primary mission of helping to train Iraqi police officers. While responding to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack on U.S. Soldiers, Holloway was shot in the stomach by a sniper.
Although he is now home, Holloway said he still constantly thinks about his comrades still in Iraq.
"It's tough being away from them; I was platoon sergeant over there," he explained. "All my guys are still there. It is definitely difficult."
The future of the Florida National Guard was also represented prior to the game, as 54 young men and women took the Oath of Enlistment on the field and officially joined the U.S. military. Commander of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Brig. Gen. John Perryman administered the oath to the recruits along the baseline between home plate and first base.
Orlando resident Daniel Moynahan took the oath hoping to make a career of the National Guard. He said he expected the rigors of basic training and an infantry career to keep him in top physical condition.
"I'm anticipating a lot of (physical training)," Moynahan said. "I joined the Infantry, so I'm anticipating some hard workouts."
Also, members of the Florida Army National Guard Honor Guard team provided a color guard on the field during the singing of the National Anthem.