Photo By Lance Cpl. Brenna Ritchie | U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jeromy M. Giroir, operations chief, Officer Programs,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.— U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jeromy Giroir, operations chief, Officer Programs, Marine Corps Recruiting Command played softball throughout his Marine Corps career, and advocates for other service members to pursue their hobbies.
“Growing up, I started off playing baseball,” said Giroir. “I began playing softball in 2007, right before I deployed to Iraq. When I came back in 2009, I got really heavily into the slow-pitch softball community.”
Giroir’s unit in Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, City, North Carolina, had a team that played on base and competed against Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune’s team, winning that year’s championship game.
“My love for softball blossomed from there,” Giroir remembered fondly.
“When I was on recruiting duty, there wasn’t military softball because I wasn’t on a military base. I played a lot of civilian softball at that time,” said Giroir. “There’s an added layer when playing with military members instead of civilians. Civilian softball is lonely, in a sense. Once the game is over everyone goes their own way. I think that the uniqueness of playing softball, or other sports with Marines is there’s a shared sense of camaraderie when you’re on the field.”
Upon the end of Giroir’s tour on recruiting duty in 2022, he received orders to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia Once he arrived on base, he was able to get back into military softball with communities he’d never been a part of.
“Playing softball throughout my Marine Corps career has continued to benefit me in a number of ways,” said Giroir. “Obviously, it’s a fun way to stay fit but the social aspect is huge. I remember being a young Marine that didn’t have a lot going on outside of work, being kind of bored at times.”
Giroir believes the ability to engage and introduce young Marines to opportunities like softball is important. Players are exposed to meeting new people and making connections to other commands who they may not have met otherwise. By playing on the MCB Quantico team, Giroir has been able to meet Marines from a variety of commands on base to include Marine Corps Intelligence Agency, Marine Corps Helicopter Squadron-1, Security Battalion, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Officer Candidates School.
“The social aspects of a sport are really important,” said Giroir.
“In 2011, I went out to regionals where the different bases within a coast - east coast, west coast, Japan (or overseas) - would compete and travel to play one another,” said Giroir. He continued to list Marine Corps Base Quantico, Recruiting Station Albany, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island as all having softball teams that played in the East Coast Regionals.
“It was very competitive,” said Giroir. “The All-Marine Softball Team would send out scouts to watch the games and send potential players to a training camp.”
According to the Marine Corps Community Services website, “All-Marine Sports enable exceptional Marine athletes to compete at higher level competitions to include Armed Forces Championships, National Championships, Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) Championships, and the Olympics. The All-Marine Sports program has produced multiple athletes that are nationally ranked and have gone on to perform in the Olympics.”
Giroir was scouted at one of the regional games, and selected to go to camp, located on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, that year, but broke his hand. Due to his injury, he was unable to continue in the training process. Despite falling short of his goal to join the All-Marine Softball Team, Giroir did not give up on softball.
“I’ve had the opportunity to travel for softball,” said Giroir. “I’ve played in a dozen different states, and been overseas. ‘Seeing the world on a softball field’ is how I’d explain my softball journey. I’ve gotten to travel during work hours to play a sport I enjoy.”
Currently, Giroir plays on the competitive team on MCB Quantico, and his team is participating in the Battle of the Bases. According to the Major League Baseball website, “Battle of the Bases is a military softball tournament, presented by the Washington Nationals, that serves as an extension of the intramural season at each of the military bases in the National Capital Region.”
Teams of active duty service members from all six branches, playing across all NCR installations, participated in the tournament. Preliminary rounds of the Battle of the Bases were held to determine which bases would play in the championship game under the lights at Nationals Park following the September 14, 2024, game against the Miami Marlins. For the first time in the Battle of the Bases history, two Marine units faced each other in the championship game. The MCB Quantico team won the game against the Marine Barracks Washington team and received a trophy.
“For me at 39 years old, it’s a dream to be able to play on the field of a Major League Baseball Stadium,” Giroir expressed.
Giroir also believes that being able to pursue hobbies and interests while in the Marine Corps is critical.
“As a career recruiter, we talk to young men and women about the opportunity to continue being yourself,” said Giroir. “While gaining certain invaluable traits becoming a Marine, you still get to do the things you enjoy doing. Many individuals coming up through high school and college enjoy playing sports. Whether it be recreational sports just to stay in shape or if they play competitively, your interest is most likely going to be available for you wherever you are in the Marine Corps. Just because you’re a Marine doesn’t mean you don’t have a life.”
Giroir is going to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service in late September of this year.
“I intend to keep playing softball even after my retirement,” said Giroir. “I feel like this is an opportunity for me – as a soon to be retiree – to introduce softball to more people, and young Marines in the MCB Quantico area. My goal is to coach and mentor as a civilian for the Marines on the MCRC team, and hopefully coach the Quantico team as a whole.”
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2024 15:03 |
| Story ID: | 481768 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | HOUMA, LOUISIANA, US |
| Hometown: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 191 |
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