By Louie A. Guzman, San Antonio Sports director of sponsorship & sales, and veteran.
Every Veteran’s Day, I reflect on my 22-year service in the U.S. Air Force. This year, it will be through the lens in my current role with San Antonio Sports. Beginning in 1989, worldwide deployments took me to Guam, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and state-side locations. The common thread through all my deployments, no matter the state or country, was sports!
I usually found myself deploying as a team of one, or at best, on a team of three and frequently working on different shifts than my team members. In 1991 during a two-week emergency airlift operation in Guam, I would join the locals and play soccer next to the flightline hangers while waiting for the next aircraft. My attempts at a decent kick earned many laughs, but I gained fond memories and life-long friendships. Sports allowed me to establish these bonds regardless of country or language barriers.
Taking part in sports played a crucial role in maintaining my level of physical readiness and more importantly, lifted my morale and mental well-being. It can become so easy to self-isolate and allow home sickness or depression to govern your thoughts when removed from your family and friends. Engaging in sports was profound, providing me physical conditioning, fostering teamwork, and giving me a support system of new friends who are now a part of my family circle. The power of sport is more than a slogan, it is a universal language that has no limits but that of your desire to play!
Happy Veterans Day to my brothers and sisters who have served, and to those currently serving.