A star-spangled honor
Newton Falls grad will represent Navy on Tuesday
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U.S. Navy Seaman Ian King recently walked into the office of someone in his chain of command and emerged with a not-so-top secret level of excitement.
"I was pulled into his office and he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said yes. I was pretty excited. I'm a big baseball fan, so it was one thing I wanted to do for sure," King, 20, of Newton Falls, said Sunday from the base where he's stationed in Washington, D.C.
He was referring to having been asked to hold the Navy flag during the national anthem at the start of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game on Tuesday evening at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The 2021 Newton Falls High School graduate will be joined by those holding flags from other military branches. Specifically, three soldiers will hold the Army flag, two each will represent the Marines and Air Force in the same capacity and one will hold a flag representing the Coast Guard, he explained.
The soldiers are scheduled to undergo a practice run today at the field, King said.
After having met certain qualifications, King was selected about two weeks ago to be the sole flag holder representative for the Navy.
King joined the Navy soon after receiving his high school diploma, then entered boot camp at the Great Lakes Recruit Training Command near Chicago and became a squad leader. Of an estimated 700 recruits in boot camp, King was one of six to be chosen as a ceremonial guardsman, whose duties will include training fellow guardsmen, his father, Shawn King, said with pride.
After completing ceremonial guard duty in mid-August, the younger King will attend A School in San Antonio, Texas.
King, a lifelong baseball lover, also is a staunch Cleveland Guardians fan. He and family members also will receive free tickets to Tuesday's mid-summer classic in Seattle.
Ask King if he is rooting for the American League or National League to win the 93rd All-Star Game and you likely will receive a noncommittal response, because his primary focus will probably be on something more personal.
"It's more the excitement of going and watching," he said.