PANAMA CITY BEACH — Veterans who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam gathered for America’s favorite pastime of baseball at Frank Brown Park on Wednesday.
Warriors’ Watch Riders motorcycle group and dozens of fans applauded residents of Clifford C. Sims State Veterans Nursing Home as they unloaded from buses that were escorted by motorcade to the park’s Miracle League baseball field.
“The good thing is we have new players every time,” said Dave Johnson, president of the Panama City Beach Rotary Club.
--- PHOTOS: VETERANS TAKE THEIR SWINGS»»
The veterans were each paired with a buddy to assist them in hitting the ball and getting around the bases, whether that meant offering a steady arm or pushing vets in their wheelchairs.
The game was made possible by the special design of the Miracle League baseball diamond.
Rotary provided funding to have the field constructed for special needs citizens in 2009. The field was surfaced with over 10,000-square feet of rubber tiles that provide a flat playing field to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and other mobility equipment.
“This is the safest environment for them,” said Cindy Bryant, a Panama City Beach resident and baseball coach for the Miracle League.
Bryant said the vets took a big interest in playing baseball, because the sport is a crowd pleaser and something they can do in the uniquely designed ball park.
Bryant credits the generosity of the Rotary and Jim Ponek, city parks and recreation director, for working together to provide a place for special needs citizens to play.
“His mission is to spare no expense, and he’s really proven that,” Bryant said of Ponek’s dedication to Miracle League.
The field sat empty most of the time at first, but in 2011 the Rotary and Miracle League figured out a way to make use of the park.
“The first idea was to do Wounded Warrior games, and then we learned about the Sims residents,” Johnson said.
It was the seventh veterans baseball game the organizations hosted for returning players and new recruits.
The Mosley High School Marine Corps JROTC Honor Guard presented the colors and the crowd sang the national anthem before each player was given a personal introduction.
Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst threw the opening pitch and vets played a game made up of two innings.
The players had a lot of spunk, cheering each other on and finding plenty of opportunities to steal bases.
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“It’s always a tied game, so we can have a rematch,” Johnson said.
Johnson said it’s sad the country is losing veterans of those eras at such a high rate, but the Rotary and Miracle League are happy to hold the semiannual game in their honor.
“Some of them, surprisingly enough, have been in all three wars,” Johnson said. “It’s just amazing to me."
The Rosters
The Army/Air Force Team
- Ken Algar
- Colla Ard
- Dorothy Butler
- James Cartwright
- Arthur Cross
- Max Edwards
- Nick Galetta
- Gary Gilltrap
- Andy Gorka
- Grady Jeffres
- Joel Johnson
- Mike Mancos
- Bill Poston
- Buzz Reimink
- Joann Reising
- Halsey Sad
- Cary Thompson
- John Wotring
The All Branches Team
- Paul Byrd
- Shelby Carr
- Harold Clark
- Arthur Cutler
- Lee Elwell
- William Miesch
- Marguerite Morton
- Angelo Pane
- Marion Pippin
- Dorothy Schmidt
- Astor Scott
- Robert Shiveley
- Don Sims
- Helen Smith
- Helen Taylor
- Charles Tillery
- Stan Wellman
- Robert Williams