1LT April Ortenzo knows that when it comes to softball, she plays for the name on the front of her uniform, not the back. "The Army is definitely my number one priority," Ortenzo said. "Softball is a luxury that I get. I truly believe that playing All-Army was such an honor to be able to represent people that have come before me, people that have died, and people that are fighting now. It's a game but it represents so much more than that." As the starting shortstop for the All-Army Softball team in 2015, Ortenzo and her teammates swept the Armed Forces Championship 9-0 to win the gold medal. For her part, Ortenzo batted .575. Winning gold was one of the most memorable moments of her life, according to Ortenzo.
"The team was so successful this year," said Ortenzo, who was also named to the 2015 All-Armed Forces National All-Star team, which took home the national championship. "It was a very young team, all rookies except for two. Our team as a whole -- we did not know how to lose. That's the best way to put it. Our team did not know how to lose. We came together no matter what the circumstances and games, and definitely had fighters on the team that were very skilled. It was an awesome team to be a part of." "I just feel at home on the field," she said. "It's the foundation of where I got my leadership skills, where I learned how to be a teammate, how to be a part of a team, how to follow before I could lead, how I could fight through adversity, everything. Softball correlates so much to the Army and leadership. That's truly where I feel at home." Read More