Baker, Nats players and coaches visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Nationals manager Dusty Baker, coaches and players visited service members and their families at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this morning.

Players in attendance included Tanner Roark, Michael A. Taylor, Joe Ross, Danny Epinosa, Blake Treinen, Oliver Perez and Matt den Dekker.

Baker said it meant a great deal for his team to be able to share some time with service members and their families.

"It was gratifying, but sad at the same time," Baker said. "It was a situation where hopefully we made the men and women happy by coming there and some of them are coming out tonight (to the game). Some of them were here yesterday. They appreciate how the Nationals are concerned about their families' well being and coming to the ballpark and stuff like that."

Baker said it was enjoyable to share some of his memories of his time in the Marines.

"I got to see some former Marines and most of them were surprised that I was in the Marines," Baker said. "Guys in the Army and Air Force and Navy, it's nice to see the (armed) forces come together in one cause like that. It let me know how entrenched D.C. is in the military and the federal government because sometimes if you're from the outside, you lose track of that."

den Dekker said the visit had a profound affect on he and his teammates, and he enjoyed talking with the veterans.

"It was great," den Dekker said. "We got to go to the rehab center where some of the guys and girls had prosthetics. They are just learning how to walk and use their hands and use their prosthetics."

"It really puts things in perspective because they are out there fighting for our country and then come back here and (to) learn all that again is crazy. All the people I met there were positive, too. They could take that and make into a negative thing, but they've seen what it's like over there and they want to make a difference and try to make a change. They're using their injury as a positive, so that's good to see."

den Dekker said the Nationals contingent had time to continue the visit with lunch and the service members talked about some of the Nationals games they've gone to.

"At the end, we met with a whole bunch (of service members)," den Dekker said. "There was a little lunch there they had and a just ton of Nationals fans and everybody saying how much they enjoy watching and coming out, and just for them to be able to have us and the city, someone to cheer for and root for, I think that it's exciting for them."

He said he appreciates the sacrifices these and many other service members have made over so many years to help protect the freedoms that we enjoy every day.

"Without them, you don't know what we'd be like in the country," den Dekker said. "They are saying thank you to us, but really it's like us saying (thank you to) them for what they do. We had a lot of fun, too, just talking to them and getting to know the people there. Some of the guys we met were young, 22 or 23 years old - they've already lost a leg or an arm or something. They are still young. But they aren't down, not at all, not anybody that I saw."