Sones, DeVoe throw opening tosses for Cordelia Little League

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicole Leidholm
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Col. Dwight Sones, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander, and Lt. Col. Dan DeVoe, 570th Global Mobility Squadron commander, threw the opening pitch for the Cordelia Tri-Valley Little League March 16 at its Opening Day ceremony in Fairfield.

Sones and DeVoe also presented the league with a new American flag to replace the one which had been burned during a fire recently this year.

On the evening of Jan. 3, teenagers vandalized and set fire to the Cordelia Tri-Valley Little League snack shack and equipment shed. The equipment and storage portion of the building was a complete loss, but the snack shack area was able to be saved. During the fire, the league lost all of its baseball equipment and its American flag was partially burned. The flag was donated by a previous league parent who served in the military.

Lt. Col. Mark Robinson, 9th Air Refueling Squadron commander heard about the fire and sent the information to Lt. Col. David LeRoy, 60th Mission Support Group deputy commander, who was deployed at the time. LeRoy dedicated a flag to the CTVLL and the flag was sent out on two missions while he was deployed.

On Feb. 9, the flag flew over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on a KC-10 Extender from the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. On Feb. 10, the flag was flown aboard a U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft assigned to the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at a forward-operating base in Southwest Asia

"The flag represents the commitment of the men and women of the armed forces, the Global War on Terrorism and honors the thousands who died in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the fields of Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001," DeVoe said. "Let all who look upon this flag be reminded of their accomplishments and steadfast devotion to protecting the freedoms our flag represents."

Sones went on to say he was amazed by how the community pulled together after an act of vandalism.

"This is a field of dreams," he said.

Sones and DeVoe presented the flag to a group of Little League boys on home plate.

"The presentation of this flag is meaningful to our league on so many levels," said one of the boys. "The four officers involved have given their time and energy to our community and our children with absolutely nothing in return. Our players, families and board appreciate everything they have done. We are proud to be able to fly this flag on behalf of all service members, especially those who will not be home to attend their own children's game opening day."

Mike Coan, Cordelia Tri-Valley Little League president, told the Little League teams that when they see a plane fly over the fields, when they see this flag fly, to remember the men and women who fight for this country.