Veterans find camaraderie on PebbleCreek softball field

We’re just a bunch of guys having fun.”

— Fred Dresser, league president

Mark “Hobbit” Clark earned his call sign playing beach volleyball. On Veterans Day, the 75-year-old Air Force veteran wore it on the back of a softball jersey.

“I’m a little bitty guy,” Clark said.

Clark, who served 20 years in the Air Force, pitched for one of four teams that brought together more than 60 veterans Nov. 11 at the Robson Field of Dreams in Goodyear for the PebbleCreek Senior Softball Association’s second annual Veterans Day games.

Four F-35 jets from Luke Air Force Base flew overhead and a play-by-play announcer followed the action as players competed on the field.

Players wore custom jerseys with stars and stripes on the sleeves and their military call signs across the back. On the field, they took the competition seriously while still having fun.

For association President Fred Dresser, the event offered a way to recognize those who served and those still serving. It also carried a message of remembrance.

“It is a time to remember those veterans that never came home,” Dresser said.

The association dates to 1995. Its players come from a range of backgrounds, with careers that have included washing dishes and running companies.  

“We’re just a bunch of guys having fun,” Dresser said.

For outfielder Mike “Poodles” Behrendt, softball has long provided a way to build relationships. During his military service, he played on teams at the bases where he was stationed.

He said those games brought together junior enlisted personnel and officers, giving them a chance to relax and work together outside their regular duties.

But leaving the military often means missing the people and the team a service member belonged to, and finding that connection again can be difficult.

At PebbleCreek, he has once again found people who cheer and support one another. The game helps fill the space left by the relationships veterans had during their service, he said.

“Stuff like this is a phenomenal way to fill that gap,” Behrendt said.

Noah Flug
Reporter | Litchfield Park and Goodyear

nflug@iniusa.org

Community: Litchfield Park and Goodyear

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in Digital Audiences from Arizona State University

Random Fact: I only have one biological cousin.

Hobbies: Watching movies and TV, spending time with my friends, aspiring stoic.