SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 2, 2014) -- Staff Sgt. Ronald Bartley credits military basketball for making him a Soldier for life.
The U.S. Army's "Soldier for Life" campaign is designed to ensure that
Soldiers start strong, serve strong and reintegrate strong so they
remain "Army Strong" when they leave service or retire, and return to
their communities.
Bartley has already run youth basketball camps in Colorado Springs while
stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, and intends to coach throughout the
remainder of his military career and beyond.
As a 38-year-old All-Army starting point guard competing with and
against some of America's best military basketball players, Bartley has
more than met the Army's vision of a balanced, healthy, self-confident
Soldier whose resilience and total fitness enables him to excel in an
era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict. He personifies
the comprehensive Soldier and the Family Fitness program's mission of
enhanced performance and resilience.
As the oldest player on the team, Bartley helped the All-Army men strike
silver at the 2014 Armed Forces Basketball Championships, Nov. 7-12, at
U.S. Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California.
He led All-Army with 17 points in a 103-88 victory over eventual gold
medalist All-Air Force, on Nov. 11. Two days earlier, Bartley tallied 11
points to help All-Army to an 84-71 victory over bronze medalist
All-Navy.
In 2004, Bartley helped All-Army win the Armed Forces Championship at
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. He returned for the 2005
tournament at Camp Pendleton, but was deployed to Camp Liberty in Iraq
throughout 2006-07. He rejoined the All-Army squad for the 2008 Armed
Forces Championships at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, where he was
named to the All-Armed Forces team.
Bartley returned for the 2009 tourney at Naval Support Activity
Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee, and helped All-Army secure silver at
the 2010 Armed Forces Championship, at Fort Myer, Virginia. He missed
the 2011 tournament while stationed in South Korea, but was back on the
court for the black and gold at the 2012 Armed Forces Championships, at
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Air Force Base, where All-Army failed to
reach the title tilt. Bartley prematurely announced his retirement as a
player that day.
"This is it for me," Bartley said, following a 73-67 loss to All-Air
Force, which knocked All-Army out of medal contention. "This is my last
year. I'm going to try to get into the coaching ranks. I'm going to give
my spot to the young guys."
Bartley was 36 then, already an aging player clinging to a young man's
game. He sensed that it was time to start giving back. The furthest
thing from his mind was another comeback. He did not, however, have it
in his heart to walk away. The 2013 Armed Forces Championships were
cancelled because of sequestration, but the annual tradition resumed in
2014.
When Bartley, at Fort Gordon, Georgia, learned that longtime basketball
friend Capt. Carl Little of Fort Benning, Georgia, was named head coach
of the All-Army team, he was determined to take one more shot at his
elusive second Armed Forces gold medal.
A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Bartley played for Deep Creek High School
in Chesapeake, Virginia. After two years at Allegheny Community
College, he transferred to NCAA Division II Shaw University in Raleigh,
North Carolina, where he played two seasons. He left school without his
degree to play two years professionally in Lisbon for Portugal Telecom
in the Portugal B League.
After getting cut, he joined the Army, in 2003. Had he not discovered
All-Army and Armed Forces basketball, Bartley would no longer be in the
military.
"Oh, no," Bartley said. "I wouldn't have been aiming for 20 [years of
service]. I would have done my four, finished getting my degree, and got
out. But because of the basketball, it has allowed me to stay in."
Beyond the Armed Forces Championships, Bartley has represented the Army
on Conseil International du Sport Militaire, or CISM, squads at the
annual Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe tournament, and in
other international military tournaments. He helped Team USA win the
2008 CISM Basketball Championship, at Lackland Air Force Base.
"Ah, man, it's been the greatest," Bartley said. "It's made my military
career so far. I have had great fun. Met great players and great guys --
all my friends I've met through Armed Forces Sports. The travel is
ridiculous. I had never been to places like Lithuania and Croatia ...
going to Germany. The whole experience, I would never change it for the
world, anything. It's been great."
Along the way, Bartley realized how to better move about the Army system and to better live military life.
"You're networking," he explained. "You're meeting people in higher
ranks and they're giving you insight on different things, military
experience and things that help, so definitely, basketball has made me
decide to go ahead and do my 20 years."
Bartley and Little played together in the Hampton Roads Pro-Am League,
and later waged on-court battles in South Korea while Bartley was
stationed at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan and Little, then with the Air
Force, was at Osan Air Base. When Bartley was playing for Shaw
University, Little was playing in the same conference for Virginia State
University.
"Once Ron heard I had received the [All-Army] head coaching job, he said
he wanted to give it one more run," Little said. "I told him what I
expected of him. I told him, 'I don't expect you to carry the load. I'm
going to bring weapons around you so you don't have to do as much. Just
bring that veteran leadership.' He was the only one on the team that has
won a gold medal with the Army."
Little also knew exactly how to employ Bartley.
"He's been a point guard all his life -- I knew what he needed to be
done to get the best out of him," said Little, who monitored Bartley's
minutes to around 20 per game. "He had a breakout game against the Air
Force, when we won by 15 points."
Now that Bartley's run is truly done, Little plans to add him to his bench as an assistant coach.
"He knows what the guys need to be successful," Little said.
Bartley, in turn, believes Soldiers need these kinds of programs.
"I appreciate All-Army Sports from a Soldier aspect," he said. "This
right here makes being in the military, being in the Army, that much
better because now you don't JUST say, 'I'm out here fighting wars and
protecting my country.'"
Bartley believes the morale boost makes Army sports worthwhile. He also
points to team-building and esprit de corps at international
competitions as positive aspects of the program when people question why
the military provides sports and entertainment opportunities for
Service members and their families.
"I would tell them they need to come and enjoy," Bartley said.
"Come see what's really going on, instead of just reading about it or
hearing about it. If they would actually come to a tournament with the
MWR or the [U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program] and really see what's
going on, they wouldn't want to stop it. No budget cuts. We need this.
This right here is what takes us as Soldiers to another level. The
camaraderie with the other forces, you can't beat it.
"Without this, I would not be going for my 20. I would have been out eight years ago. This has been the best."
Active-duty Soldiers, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers, Army National Guard
and Active Guard Reserves are eligible to apply for sports online at
www.allarmysports.armymwr.com. The All-Army Sports program includes
basketball, bowling, boxing, cross country, golf, marathon, rugby
sevens, soccer, softball, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball and
wrestling.
http://www.army.mil/article/138826/Military_basketball_programs_retain_Soldier_for_life/
