FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Command teams rely on each other for guidance and leadership, but a few senior leaders broke away from the mold during a tradition that put commanders against their senior enlisted advisers.
The annual commanders versus command sergeants major softball game on June 25 was one of several athletic events that took place during Mountainfest.
"The commanders versus command sergeants major softball game is a tradition in the 10th Mountain Division," said Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander, in his opening remarks to the players.
"As the division commander, I am impartial and therefore will not play for either team, but I will bat for both," he continued.
As players arrived at the field, the command sergeants major team showed up in matching shirts with the confidence of a team that had conducted rehearsals, while the commanders wore a variety of different clothing choices.
"I see the sergeants major, as usual, are showing the signs of discipline and high standards one would expect of our noncommissioned officers," Milley said.
The NCOs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead at the bottom of the first inning. As they racked up a 7-0 lead by the top of the second, it looked like their rehearsals were going to lead to a rout.
The officers did not waiver, rallying in the bottom of the second to take the lead 8-7.
For another inning and a half, the score remained the same as the teams traded out for out and the sunlight began to wane. The temperature dipped, and it appeared as though the players' fortitude would be tested, but neither team showed signs of weather effects. Instead, they showed they were Mountain Strong.
In the bottom of the fourth, the officers widened the gap to five runs ahead. By the top of next inning, the NCOs had come back to tie the score.
A savage ballet took place as both teams cracked long hits deep into the outfield, only to spur amazing diving and jumping catches by their opponents. Double plays and in-the-park home runs were brilliantly executed by both warring factions.
The bottom of the fifth put the officers back in the lead by one. Not to be outdone, the NCOs went into the seventh up by two runs. With the score 18-16 favoring the NCOs after the top of the seventh, the officers were in a put-up-or-go-home situation.
As darkness loomed and the temperature dropped, the officers' situation was bleak. They needed three runs or face defeat.
The NCOs' warrior ethos was firm as they secured an early out and all but clinched their victory, but the officers would not go quietly into the looming night. They rallied three more runs and secured victory in the bottom of the seventh, 19-18.
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