By Airman 1st Class Grace Glotfelty, 9th Operations Support Squadron weather journeyman

Ever since I can remember, joining the military was something I wanted to do. Part of that may be due to me growing up less than five miles outside the gates of Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. I remember seeing people in military uniforms everywhere I went: at the grocery store, in the student pick up line at school and driving past me on the way to work every morning. I admired the individuals wearing these uniforms and thought to myself how I want to be like them one day and serve my country doing something bigger than myself.

At first my plan was to join the military right after high school, but my father convinced me to pursue higher education, especially since I was offered both academic and athletic scholarships. I ended up playing softball at a nearby university while completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After college, life got busy, and I put joining the military on hold. I worked a few different jobs but never experienced any fulfillment or job satisfaction.

Finally, in 2023, while my wife and I were stationed at Andersen AFB, Guam, I decided to finally pursue my dream of joining the military. I knew the Air Force was the branch I wanted, so I reached out to the recruiters there and next thing I knew I was on my way to Basic Military Training (BMT)! I selected 1W0X1 (Weather), as my specialty. After BMT, I spent around 8 months at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.

Beale AFB, California, is my first assignment, and even though I’ve only been in the Air Force for a very short amount of time, I’ve already had some really cool experiences. The most recent being my time in Texas and Oklahoma getting to play on the All-Air Force Softball Team.

Softball has been my passion since I was around four years old. It was the first sport I played (well technically I started with baseball). Even though I participated in many sports as a kid, softball always had my heart. I played throughout high school and college, but after I graduated college, I thought my softball playing days were behind me.

Turns out, they were not! Little did I know, everyone can still pursue their passions, including sports, while serving in the military. I found out about the All-Armed Forces Softball Tournament through Staff Sgt. Tyler Skurka, a friend I met while out in Guam. He had been on the men’s softball team before and mentioned how I should give it a try once I enlist. Following his advice, I applied for the team back in June after settling down at my new duty station in California. I was selected to participate in the softball trial camp at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. After a weeklong try-out, I made the team. We practiced for another week before heading to Oklahoma City to compete in the All-Armed Forces tournament, the 2024 Armed Forces Men’s and Women’s Softball Championship hosted by USA Softball at the USA Softball National Hall of Fame Complex.

The tournament was a competition between the Air Force, Marines, Navy, Army and Coast Guard teams held Aug. 13-19. We played multiple games for five days straight. It was exhausting but ended up being an amazing experience. I am so grateful for my leadership and the Air Force for allowing me to have this opportunity.

I performed well at the tournament and even got selected to represent the entire U.S. military on the All-Armed Forces Softball Team competing at USA Nationals! Now, rather than playing against the other branches, I get to play alongside them since this new team is comprised of the top softball players from all branches.

Fourteen other women and I were selected for this team to travel back to OKC from Sept. 7-8 and competed against top-ranked civilian teams from around the country. I am so excited to play again soon and to represent the Air Force by doing what I love. I really wasn’t expecting to play at this competitive level of softball again. In such a short amount of time, the military has already given me so many opportunities, and I am ever so grateful. To get to play the sport I love, while also serving and representing my country is beyond amazing.