Softball the right medicine

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.
  • 944th Fighter Wing
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZ. --  During the April unit training assembly the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron and the 944th Medical Squadron got together for a friendly softball game.

There was a lot of friendly ribbing going on prior to the game. On the line was bragging rights and a bed pan trophy for the winner. The game was soundly won by the 944th ASTS.

The "ringers" for the game were Col. Kurt Gallegos, 944th Fighter Wing commander, Col. Curtiss Cook, 944th ASTS commander, and Lt. Col. Alfred Rossum, 944th MDS commander.

The game was part of a team building day Gallegos awarded to the Wing for all their hard work throughout the year and their success during the CAPSTONE inspection. The crowd held up signs and banners and cheered for their squadrons which made the game more intense for the competitors and exciting for the spectators watching.
Fun was had by all. Senior Master Sgt. James King, 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron First Sergeant, was an umpire during the game and said, "The calls were bad, especially by me against ASTS but it did not affect the outcome. ASTS beat the pants off MDS!"

The idea for the game was conceived by Col. Cook and Lt. Col. Rossum as a way to build espirit de corps and unify the squadrons as well as the Wing.
"We needed to decompress, our squadron missions and personalities are different but our goal to strengthen the 944th Fighter Wing is the same," said Rossum. "Now we are ready to go back to work."

Coordination and the organizational details were handled by Master Sgt. Henry Ruiz, 944th Medical Squadron diet therapy technician, and Staff Sgt. Kevin Maiorano, 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical technician. The bed pan trophy idea originated from the duo when they were brainstorming on what the two squadrons had in common. According to Maiorano, "What we have in common with the MDS is our hearts; our desire to help others and to serve them even in their most vulnerable state."
The ASTS won the game 27 to 22. The trophy was presented to Cook and Maiorano by Gallegos.

Both squadrons have decided to make this an annually battle for the bed pan trophy. Each year they will add the winning squadron, month, year, and event to the trophy hopefully making this a long lasting tradition.
"After all the hard work it was nice to get out there and enjoy ourselves and we look forward to other joint activities," said Maiorano.