Good Guys: The First Academy club honors military veterans

Several of the school's athletes, including baseball player Austin Josiah, thank soldiers for their service

April 08, 2011|By Joe Williams, Orlando Sentinel

Austin Josiah always respected military personnel. His father graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, then served in the Marines. His grandfather was in the Navy.

Now, as a board member of The First Academy's Wounded Warriors Club, the senior right fielder makes certain each soldier he meets knows how much he appreciates his or her sacrifices.

"I would pass by veterans all the time and not think twice about it," said Josiah, the club treasurer. "But [the club] has made me realize that as Americans, we fail to recognize what they do for us. Now whenever I see someone in uniform, whether it is in a mall or just walking around, I always go up to them, shake their hand and thank them for serving."

The school's Wounded Warriors Club was founded a little more than a year ago by students Andrew Bragg and Mike Rose. Bragg is a golfer and the club's president. Rose is a soccer player and also serves on the board, along with Josiah and volleyball players Abby Mixner and Brianna Harb. It has about 30 students, many of whom are athletes.

The club's members have gone to Orlando International Airport to welcome home the troops. They raised about $500 and put together care packages that they sent overseas. They also have assisted at the Orlando Veterans Affairs Community Living Center.

Club adviser Brian Rose said club members were honored to carry the casket of World War II veteran Frank Borrell, who witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Borrell, who lived in Orlando, died in November at age 96.

But the club's proudest undertaking is joining with the West Orange Habitat for Humanity's "Home At Last Project." The organization is building a house for Army Sgt. Major Patrick Corcoran, who lost his legs when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The club plans to go to the home under construction in Oakland and do landscaping. They also attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

"It is just astounding that these folks, these young people, who have no independent reason to do this and nothing to really gain but the satisfaction and gratification of helping people who find themselves in these situations, are so involved," said Corcoran, who is rehabilitating at the V.A. Hospital in Tampa. "I have found them to be a tremendous amount of support." Corcoran was a guest at The First Academy during the club's Veterans Day program. The club will be present when the house is dedicated to Corcoran and his family — wife Becky and sons T.J. and Patrick — on June 4.

Josiah, who hopes to play baseball next year at Pennsylvania, said Corcoran touched him with stories of service and his Veterans Day talk. "He spoke about the day he was wounded and about how proud he was to serve his country," Josiah said. "And he said, even knowing what he knows today, even with his injuries, he said he would do it all again in a heartbeat.  "We take our freedom for granted. We sit at home, and we don't give thanks enough for what the soldiers are doing overseas. We need to spend more time thanking our troops and loving our country."

jrwilliams@tribune.com or 352-742-5921. Read Joe Williams' blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/varsityblog. Sign up for the Varsity sports newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.