DoD photo / Capt. Erik Johnson
Along with the pain, there are some real bright spots in the ongoing saga of veterans returning home. One such is the Home Base program sponsored by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The program started about three years ago, and brings together the Red Sox Nation with the clinical expertise at Mass General. Although Home Base generally focuses on New England, recently I joined Red Sox leadership and wounded warriors at an exhibition game with the Washington Nationals in Washington, D.C. organized by both teams.
The gathering in the VIP box was stunning, and yanked hard at the heartstrings. Soldiers and Marines were all along the range of the healing continuum, from obviously been freshly-injured to bouncing along on prosthetics. Senior military leaders chatted with Mass General physicians.
dod photo
Huff stole the show. Huff is one of the service dogs being trained at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence to work with injured service members.
Following the close game between the Sox and the Nats—which the Sox won by a whisker– the wounded warriors played in a softball game.
Why is the intersection of Major League Baseball and wounded warriors important?
For three reasons.
— It keeps the light on the young men and women who are in that long process of getting better, which often includes multiple surgeries and set-backs.
— It reminds civilians of the need for support during that process.
— And it helps, I hope, bridge the gap between civilian and military.