VetBaseball’s DC Chapter was launched during May of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. A very successful fundraising campaign supported by more than 25 contributors provided the chapter with the resources necessary to provide two trips for veterans from the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Washington, D.C. More than 65 veterans got to see the Washington Nationals play against the Milwaukee Brewers (August 2) and the Chicago White Sox (September 20). Our AFRH veterans were treated at both games to great weather, seats, food, VetBaseball T-shirts and very well-played games.
Our second annual program got off the ground during the late winter months of 2024. Two games at Nats Park were scheduled (May 22 and September 26). In addition, the BakerHostetler law firm, through the efforts of its Military Affairs Committee Chair, Rodger Eckleberry, very generously donated the use of its Nationals Park suite to the chapter for the Seattle Mariners game on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, May 26. With the BakerHostetler donation and contributions from other chapter supporters, more than 55 veterans from AFRH were in attendance at the games held in May. Like the ’23 season, the chapter partnered with AFRH to bring veterans to these two games with the same support provided during the inaugural season.
A third, and final event for the ‘24 season was held at Nationals Park with veterans from the AFRH and featured a very special guest. Some 50 AFRH veterans and staff along with our volunteers were at the game. Our guests sported their VetBaseball T-Shirts; had a ballpark fare lunch; and, sat under covered seating to watch the Nationals play the Kansas City Royals. Our very special guest was Alan Duretz, VetBaseball’s Founder. The Nationals honored Alan and provided special recognition to him in a pre-game ceremony on the field of play.
The DC Chapter is happy to report that we brought over 105 veterans to ballgames this year which represents nearly a 60% increase over last year’s total. Donations received by the Chapter covered all of its expenses for the year enabling it to provide the full range of support for our veterans at these games.
Planning for the 2025 season has already started and the Chapter is looking forward to bringing more veterans to Nationals Ballpark in the season ahead.
To help guide, support and direct its efforts, the chapter established an advisory board. Board members are:
Jan Scruggs. Jan is an Army Infantry veteran of the Vietnam War. He serves as Chairman of the Selective Service National Review Board. He is a Virginia Native born in Washington, D.C.
John Henry Weber. John was a grenadier with the 1/46th Battalion, 198th Brigade, Americal Division in South Vietnam. He was wounded in action in Quang Tin Province, I-Corps in 1969 and medically retired as a Sp/4 due to his injuries.
David U. Fierst. David is a retired lawyer living in Bethesda. In his childhood he frequented Griffith Stadium where he watched his heroes Roy Sievers, Camilo Pascual and the rest of the Senators lose repeatedly to the New York Yankees. VetBaseball allows him to combine his lifelong love of baseball with the gratitude he owes to his predecessors who defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan: his father in the Army; an uncle in the infantry; another uncle in the Navy; and, his father in law in the Navy.
Hugh B Kaufman. Hugh has been a baseball fan since he was a kid in the 1940s, when he used to go to Washington Senators games at Griffith Stadium in old DC. He was a Captain in the United States Air Force in the 1960s. In 1971 he was one of the engineers who helped start the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked for over 50 years. He was one of the original season-ticket holders when the Washington Nationals came back to DC in 2005.
Alexander “Rusty” Miller. Rusty grew up locally, graduating from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. During a 28-year Army career he had varied assignments in Europe and the United States. Following that, he did consulting work for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Rusty and his wife, Carol, have two children (both married) and live in Chevy Chase.
Sue Riseling. Sue was the chief of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, police department for 25 years (1991-2016) and was the first woman to lead a Big Ten university police force. She is a consultant to the law enforcement community; an author (A View from the Interior: Policing the Protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol); and, the chair of Police Leaders for Community Safety, a new national nonpartisan advocacy organization.
Both Alan Duretz, VetBaseball Founder, and Dan Rosenblatt, DC Chapter Director, also serve on this advisory group in an ex officio capacity.
VetBaseball is proud to have these distinguished individuals on the chapter’s advisory board and is grateful for their many contributions.
