You never know where inspiration comes from and where that inspiration might lead.

If you are a baseball fan, and particularly an Atlanta Braves fan, you might remember that the Braves played the Miami Marlins in a game last July at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  The game was played in a temporary 12,500 stadium constructed specifically for this game, the only Major League Baseball game played on a military installation.

During that game, my friend Keith Lyle sent me a text asking if I was watching and expressed how great this game was for the military personnel in attendance and for the players in the game.

Fast forward a few months, I get another text from Keith asking if I would like to help him put together a Bainbridge High School game to honor our community’s veterans and service members. Well, of course, The Post-Searchlight and I would absolutely love to play a part in the game.

Head Coach Brian McCorkle was all in and the planning began. The planning will culminate next Wednesday night, April 12, as the Bearcats play Tift County at Bearcat Diamonds on the campus of Bainbridge High School. All veterans in attendance will be honored on the field before the game and will get into the game free of charge.

Retired Lt. Col. John Davis will throw out the first pitch and will address the team before the game. Col. Davis is a true hero and the recipient of a Bronze Star Medal, awarded from service in Iraq as Chief of Operations for the 648th Engineer Battalion in the Georgia Army National Guard.

Col. Davis will also present the team with a flag that flew in Iraq, over Saddam Hussein’s palace after it fell.

The highly decorated Bainbridge High School Air Force JROTC will be on hand to present the colors while the National Anthem is being played before the game.

The team will don special camouflaged caps and special jerseys for this particular game. I was informed a few days ago that the visiting Tift County team will also participate in this game by wearing their own special jerseys. What a nice added touch.

So, we would absolutely love to see the baseball field filled with our local veterans to be honored on this special night. The ballgame is scheduled to begin at 5:30 and all veterans and service members are asked to arrive at 5:00, please join us. Please email me at jeff.findley@thepostsearchlight.com should you have any questions.