Taking baseball into the community and coming back with more

Today Josh Willingham and I had the privilege of visiting some of the bravest men and women in this country. We went over to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. For people who may not know, it's where some of the most courageous military men and women are sent straight from the battlefield, their first stop on the road to recovery after they have been severely wounded during combat. Today we met with some Marines that had been caught in a fire fight and hit pretty hard. Seeing 20-and 21-year-olds that were hurt because they were just doing their jobs is a very, very humbling experience. We can never repay our young men and women, but we can surely thank them and hope that they know we will forever be in their debt. I can never complain about having a bad day at work, or think I have it bad compared to someone else. Seeing how tough, how proud these wonderful people are makes me feel lucky to be an American. At one point, one of the Marines (who lost his leg to an IED) jumped up out of bed to take a photo with Josh and I. Knowing he didn't want to seem soft or weak by laying in bed even though he lost a leg maybe two weeks earlier will stay with me the rest of my life. I'm proud to say I'm a much better person because these few and proud Marines - who we were supposed to cheer up - raised my love and appreciation of our youth to a new level. Oh yeah, we talked a little baseball too! So, when you see them out at the ballpark, please take a minute out of your day to say Thank You!