thedrifter
09-03-06, 07:04 AM
Day at the ballpark Wounded in Iraq, Marines get the royal treatment from Detroit Tigers
Sunday, September 3, 2006
By Chris Killian
Special to the Gazette
DETROIT -- Standing outside the Detroit Tigers clubhouse before Saturday's game, Jordan Pierson seemed far from awe-struck.
He's used to pressing the flesh with celebrities and receives more attention than most anyone from the small town of Sturgis ever will.
``I'm not star-struck anymore,'' he said. ``It just doesn't get to me.''
Seeing what he's seen and meeting who he's met over the past three years, one would understand why.
One by one, several Tigers players came out to greet Pierson and two of his fellow soldiers. The players' names now familiar to those who have followed the team's rise to greatness this summer -- Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge, just to name a few.
Detroit's summertime heroes surrounded the soldiers, all of whom were brought to the game with the help of Wounded Warriors, a group that supports wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
``We've got heroes too,'' said Tigers pitcher Nate Robertson. ``And that's you guys.''
Pierson served three tours of duty in Iraq. During his most recent deployment there, his convoy was returning from an operation near Ramadi when it was attacked on Dec. 7, 2005, with two roadside bombs. Pierson's left leg was so damaged it had to be amputated in Iraq.
He's been on national television and received his Purple Heart Medal from President George W. Bush.
But lately he's been a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., receiving physical therapy. He was joined Saturday by his fellow brothers in arms, Tony Bullene, 20, of Watertown, S.D., and Neil Frustaglio, 22, of Ishpeming, both of whom lost both legs and receive treatment at Walter Reed. The three will return to the Army hospital early next week.
The trip was organized by Jo McDaid, a nurse from Paw Paw who met Pierson when she went to Walter Reed last year to visit with wounded soldiers.
She shied away from any attention.
``The focus should be on them,'' she said. ``This day is all about them. It's a day for them to enjoy themselves.''
There was no doubt the three friends were receiving royal treatment at the game -- autographed bats and balls, a fully catered luxury suite and even a visit from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who offered them free entry to any nightclub in the city that night -- but they remained calm throughout the entire event, in spite of their young ages.
Though visibly flattered by the attention they were getting, the three friends talked more to each other than they did to the celebrities with whom they spoke.
Frustaglio was interrupted by Tigers designated hitter and sometimes first baseman Dmitri Young, who thanked him for his service. He then returned to a story he was telling about fly fishing in Pennsylvania.
``That's just what Marines do,'' he said. ``We're not fazed by much.''
Pierson's demeanor during the mayor's visit to the suite was as if he were speaking to him in his living room.
As the mayor posed for pictures with the group, Pierson poked Bullene with one of his crutches then jokingly punched him on the head.
Moments before the visit, he asked a Tigers attendant where he could smoke. She gave him elaborate directions to the smoking area, to which Pierson responded humorously: ``That's kind of a long walk for a one-legged guy.''
Outside the suite, a soft rain was falling, soaking the field. Pierson sat in a chair, drinking a beer and twirling his crutches as those around him wondered if the game might be postponed.
``They can play or not play, it doesn't really matter to me,'' he said with a smile. ``Besides, I'm a Cubs fan.'
Ellie
Sunday, September 3, 2006
By Chris Killian
Special to the Gazette
DETROIT -- Standing outside the Detroit Tigers clubhouse before Saturday's game, Jordan Pierson seemed far from awe-struck.
He's used to pressing the flesh with celebrities and receives more attention than most anyone from the small town of Sturgis ever will.
``I'm not star-struck anymore,'' he said. ``It just doesn't get to me.''
Seeing what he's seen and meeting who he's met over the past three years, one would understand why.
One by one, several Tigers players came out to greet Pierson and two of his fellow soldiers. The players' names now familiar to those who have followed the team's rise to greatness this summer -- Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge, just to name a few.
Detroit's summertime heroes surrounded the soldiers, all of whom were brought to the game with the help of Wounded Warriors, a group that supports wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
``We've got heroes too,'' said Tigers pitcher Nate Robertson. ``And that's you guys.''
Pierson served three tours of duty in Iraq. During his most recent deployment there, his convoy was returning from an operation near Ramadi when it was attacked on Dec. 7, 2005, with two roadside bombs. Pierson's left leg was so damaged it had to be amputated in Iraq.
He's been on national television and received his Purple Heart Medal from President George W. Bush.
But lately he's been a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., receiving physical therapy. He was joined Saturday by his fellow brothers in arms, Tony Bullene, 20, of Watertown, S.D., and Neil Frustaglio, 22, of Ishpeming, both of whom lost both legs and receive treatment at Walter Reed. The three will return to the Army hospital early next week.
The trip was organized by Jo McDaid, a nurse from Paw Paw who met Pierson when she went to Walter Reed last year to visit with wounded soldiers.
She shied away from any attention.
``The focus should be on them,'' she said. ``This day is all about them. It's a day for them to enjoy themselves.''
There was no doubt the three friends were receiving royal treatment at the game -- autographed bats and balls, a fully catered luxury suite and even a visit from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who offered them free entry to any nightclub in the city that night -- but they remained calm throughout the entire event, in spite of their young ages.
Though visibly flattered by the attention they were getting, the three friends talked more to each other than they did to the celebrities with whom they spoke.
Frustaglio was interrupted by Tigers designated hitter and sometimes first baseman Dmitri Young, who thanked him for his service. He then returned to a story he was telling about fly fishing in Pennsylvania.
``That's just what Marines do,'' he said. ``We're not fazed by much.''
Pierson's demeanor during the mayor's visit to the suite was as if he were speaking to him in his living room.
As the mayor posed for pictures with the group, Pierson poked Bullene with one of his crutches then jokingly punched him on the head.
Moments before the visit, he asked a Tigers attendant where he could smoke. She gave him elaborate directions to the smoking area, to which Pierson responded humorously: ``That's kind of a long walk for a one-legged guy.''
Outside the suite, a soft rain was falling, soaking the field. Pierson sat in a chair, drinking a beer and twirling his crutches as those around him wondered if the game might be postponed.
``They can play or not play, it doesn't really matter to me,'' he said with a smile. ``Besides, I'm a Cubs fan.'
Ellie