Marine is a Padre now

I really like this story.

Marine earns new job with Padres
Iraq veteran to pursue pitching career with Minor League deal

Cooper Brannan is a decorated Marine with two tours of duty in Iraq behind him.

Now he can say he's a professional baseball player with a potential of playing in the Major Leagues in front of him.

The Padres announced Tuesday that they have agreed to terms on a Minor League contract with Brannan, a 22-year-old right-hander who as a Marine corporal was wounded in Iraq but came back to the U.S. to find his dream of playing baseball was still very much alive.

"I never figured when I was in Iraq that I'd be given this opportunty again, coming back from there," Brannan said Tuesday morning.

But there he was Tuesday, talking about having just received a contract from Grady Fuson, the Padres' vice president for scouting and player development, as the announcement was made at a press conference at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
...
"First of all, it's about baseball," [CEO Sandy] Alderson said. "Cpl. Brannan would not be signing a contract today if he didn't have the kind of talent our scouting department and player development people feel had potential and ulimately the possiblity of playing the Major Leagues."

Brannan sustained wounds to his left hand from a flashbang grenade during his second deployment and was sent to San Diego Navy Medical Center for treatment and rehabilitation.

Said Brannan: "I looked at my hand injury and I said 'This is nothing. I've got nothing to worry about.' My injury was far less worse than most. I picked up and I started working out again and started striving to do better."

I wonder if he will be in Fort Wayne this season.