Marco Island Senior Softball Honors Veterans

Brett Bartholomaus prepares to take his swing during a recent League pickup game at Winterberry Park.

Photo by Kevin Byrnes

Charlie Lamb (center, number 8) along with fellow League veterans Ron "Doc" Irwin (front, saluting), John Remhoff (behind Lamb), and Dave Manzello at attention during the national anthem of a League game.

Photos by Maria Lamb

Marco Island Senior Softball veterans pose for Bill Cookson's "Honor the Fallen" 2024 Memorial Day tribute on the field at Winterberry Park.

Photos by Maria Lamb

Al Bozzo proudly holds the winner's trophy after his team, American Legion, won the Gulf Division tournament in March.

Photo by the Al Bozzo family

Posted Wednesday, May 22, 2024 8:00 pm

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By Kevin Byrnes

Memorial Day (Monday, May 27, 2024) is a day where the Marco Island community, which includes players, managers, coaches, umpires, and supporters in the Marco Island Senior Softball League (MISSL), can honor military personnel who died in the service of our country. We asked several players in the League who are veterans to reflect on what Memorial Day means to them.

Brett Bartholomaus/ Island Division Player/U.S. Marine Corps

Among the younger veterans who encompass the dozens of veterans in the MISSL, Brett’s interest in the military started during college in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while at Iowa State University. Starting as a commissioned officer out of college and training as a helicopter pilot, Brett rose to be a commander during his 30-Marine Corps year career. He witnessed the hazards of training and combat that included the loss of brethren who had become friends as well as some who trained under him. Now retired and living on Marco Island, Brett noted how he keeps their memories close on Memorial Day.

“I think about Arlington Cemetery and what their families had to go through,” he said. “Any time we lose a service member, it takes a little piece of all of us.”

Charlie Lamb/Marco Division Player /U.S. Marine Corps

One of the predominant memories on Memorial Day for Charlie Lamb, a Cleveland, Ohio native and retired packaging engineer, dates to World War II.

“My dad had a cousin, a pilot in World War II, who was killed in the Pacific aboard an aircraft carrier, and his name was Charles Lamb. That’s who I am named after. It’s a story that has been in my family for years,” he said.

Flash forward from World War II to the Vietnam War era, young Charlie Lamb volunteered for the U.S. Marine Corps, working as an engineer with heavy equipment, searchlights and generators as well as explosives while in Vietnam. A First Lieutenant, he served for more than three years. His Memorial Day message echoes the annals of our country’s history.

“My first thought is the words of Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address, thoughts and words that cannot be equaled for which they gave their last measure of devotion,” said Charlie. Noting that Memorial Day is a day to respectfully commemorate those who sacrificed their lives to protect us from the tyranny of others so that we may live in peace, he also paid tribute to the families and friends of veterans.

“Let us not forget the sacrifices of loved ones left behind. It is up to us to support and perpetuate our democracy.”

Al Bozzo/Gulf Division Player /U.S. Air Force

“Memorial Day is a solemn occasion, not a celebration,” said Al, who was a captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1965 (early Vietnam War era), working as a general surgeon. “It (Memorial Day) is a day to honor our deceased veterans who defended our country.”

Al parlayed his general surgeon work in the Air Force, eventually opening his own urological medical practice in New Jersey. Now 86 years young, Al has another distinction. He is the last of the League’s original founders who is still playing. In fact, his team, American Legion, won the Gulf Division tournament championship this past season, with Al gloving the final out to seal the win.

“I remember our first year as a league. We played with members of the Marco Island Italian American Society which included women,” Al recalled. “The next year, we took out a newspaper ad and more than 20 guys showed up to play. We got two sponsors and ended up with four teams. Since then, the rest as they say, is history!”

The Marco Island Senior Softball League thanks all its veterans, as well as those in the Marco Island community, in our country and across the globe for their dedicated service and sacrifice. The League will further recognize veterans on Memorial Day. That’s when Bill Cookson of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and groundskeeper of the field at Winterberry Park will adorn the outfield with a Memorial Day tribute.

You can get more information about the Marco Island Senior Softball League by visiting the league's website at https://marcoseniorsoftballleague.com/index.html.

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