USASOC NEWS SERVICE

RELEASE NUMBER: 040714-01
DATE POSTED: JULY 14, 2004

 Iraqi children learn American pastime

By Spc. Blair Larson
139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

MOSUL, Iraq (USASOC News Service, July 14, 2004) — Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Norristown, Pa., are teaching a group of Iraqi children from Al Kush, Iraq, to play baseball.

Children from the Al Kush athletic club expressed interest in learning the sport, which most have only seen on television.  Master Sgt. Chris Cortazzo, non-commissioned officer in charge of the battalion’s Public Safety Team and leader of the Youth Soccer and Sports Committee, decided to put his knowledge of baseball to use by inviting the children to Mosul to teach them the game.

Cortazzo and other baseball fans from the 416th gathered July 9, with balls, bats, gloves and a lot of cold water to welcome 14 youth and their coaches from the athletic club. 

The day began with a general explanation of the rules of baseball and instruction on basic skills such as throwing and catching with gloves donated from the United States.  The children learned to hit the ball from a homemade tee.

Cortazzo found that some of the children had a natural talent for the game.  “There are a few here who play a lot better than I had expected.  They’re catching on quick,” he said.

If the children enjoy the game and express an interest, the battalion’s Youth Soccer and Sports committee members would like to expand the training to other regions around Mosul and possibly assist the coaches in starting a league.

“This is a new game for many of the children and we’re not sure if they’ll take to it,” Cortazzo said.  “But if they do, we would like to continue to teach them about the game.”

As a member of the Public Safety Team, Cortazzo spends a lot of his time training firefighters.  Working with children is a change that he enjoys because of his love of baseball and his love of children.

“It’s nice to see that the kids appear to be taking well to the game,” Cortazzo said.

For Sameem Ismail, an avid soccer player, baseball is a sport that has caught his interest.

“I’ve never played baseball but I’ve watched it on television,” he said.  “I’m looking forward to learning more about this sport.”

- usasoc-

Master Sgt. Chris Cortazzo from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion demonstrates to Iraqi youth the proper way to swing a bat in the American game of baseball. The Soldiers taught youth from Al Kush, Iraq, the basic rules of the game in Mosul.
 Master Sgt. Chris Cortazzo from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Norristown, Pa., demonstrates to Iraqi youth July 9, the proper way to swing a bat in the American game of baseball.  The Soldiers taught youth from Al Kush, Iraq, the basic rules of the game in Mosul. (Photo by Spc. Blair Larson, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Iraqi youth practice throwing baseballs to each other in Mosul. The members of a youth athletic club in Al Kush are learning to play the American sport of baseball.
 Iraqi youth practice throwing baseballs to each other July 9 in Mosul, Iraq.  Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Norristown, Pa., are teaching members of a youth athletic club in Al Kush to play the sport of baseball.  (Photo by Spc. Blair Larson, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Master Sgt. Chris Cortazzo from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion teaches an Iraqi youth to swing a bat to hit a baseball.
 Master Sgt. Chris Cortazzo from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Norristown, Pa., teaches an Iraqi youth to hit a baseball July 9 in Mosul, Iraq. (Photo by Spc. Blair Larson, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Iraqi children from Al Kush pose with Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion after learning how to play the American sport of baseball in Mosul.
 Iraqi children from Al Kush pose with Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, based out of Norristown, Pa., after learning how to play the sport of baseball July 9 in Mosul, Iraq. (Photo by Spc. Blair Larson, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)