Reflections Magazine Issue #70 - Fall 2009 | Page 8

Athletics Feature

From the Ballfield
to the Battlefield
Story written by Scott McNeish — The Adrian Daily Telegram

Chris Boertje Returns
from Tour in Iraq
to Pitch for Saints

H

ear the stories, the terror tales, the
emotional overload, and it becomes clear
why his coach sees increased awareness
since his return.
Over there, far away, he had no choice but
to develop it. Not if he wanted to stay alive.
Even on a simple drive, he had to keep a
sun-blinded eye on everything bordering
the baking street. Every clump of trash.
Stones. Bushes. Bundles of sticks. Boxes.
Forgettable objects that likely wouldn’t
threaten most U.S. citizens.
He had to pay attention. Because he never
knew when one might explode.
“There were some really scary times,”
he said.

For almost a year on the battlefields in Iraq,
this young man became a heroic patriot.
He escaped a jam unlike any other.
“All we could do was try to support him,
pray for him, and keep our fingers crossed
that he would return to us,” Siena Heights
baseball coach John Kolasinski said.
“Fortunately, he has.”

The Day He Found Out
Military work is the roots of the Boertje
family tree. Chris’ father, grandfather and
great-grandfather served in the armed forces. His father, Michael, did 20 years active
duty in the U.S. Army, spending 11 1/2
years in Germany.

It seemed natural for Boertje to join.
“Growing up, my dad always came home
wearing a uniform,” he said, “and I thought
that was pretty cool.”
After graduating from Franklin High, he decided to join the National Guard, which requires work on weekends during the school
year and several weeks in the summer.
“I joined for a few reasons,” Boertje said.
“One, to do my part as a civilian and as a
soldier. There’s not a lot of soldiers out there,
so the more the merrier. Two, I ha