Like the players from St. Edmond, Fort Dodge, Newell-Fonda and West Marshall on Monday, Cole Allison once put on a baseball uniform and competed in his school’s Memorial Day Tournament.

At the time, Allison didn’t fully understand the significance of the holiday weekend and what it meant to countless others around the United States.

He does now.

Allison, a 2017 St. Edmond graduate, is currently enlisted in the National Guard. He completed basic training earlier this year.

“I remember it being a fun tournament to play in, but I never once thought about what Memorial Day actually meant until I was in the military,” the former Gael said. “Going back and thinking about it now, it was nice to play in the tournament and thank the people that served. To play for them meant a lot.

“It’s nice that they are still doing it. Part of me, like everyone here, wishes they could go and watch their home school and town, just to be there and participate in stuff like that.”

For Allison, the decision to join the military was not originally on his mind after high school.

“A friend of mine was in the National Guard and he was talking to me one day about how much he loved it and how it changed his life,” Allison said. “He asked me to join and I told him I was thinking about it. I talked to someone, debated on leaving my family and decided it wasn’t for me. A few months later I was working and asked myself, ‘do I really want to do this for the rest of my life?’ I texted the recruiter and he said he was waiting for that day and was happy to talk with me again.

“I looked at it as a way to change the road laid out before me and to prove myself and see if I was able to do it.”

Through basic training, Allison found himself in the same situation as those around him: missing loved ones and the comforts of home life.

“You ask yourself, is this worth it? Is this what you want?'” he said. “But you really can’t be happy if you only stay in your comfort zone.”

Through his training, Allison has drawn many parallels to competing in high school sports.

“Basically, the motto (of the National Guard) is, ‘one team, one fight,'” Allison said. “So whenever you are doing anything, you try to do it as a team. When it comes to athletics here, that really drives you to compete hard.

“There are a lot of former high school and college athletes, and everyone is strong-headed.”

The group recently competed in what they called “Patriot Games” which included a tug-of-war competition, a 4×100 relay, soccer, kickball and volleyball. Allison signed up for the soccer event and admits, “things got competitive towards the end.”

“Everyone wants to prove themselves, prove to be the better person,” he said.

Allison is working in the IT field and hopes to continue in the National Guard for the extended future. After six years, he plans to apply to be a warrant officer.

“That’s my main goal,” he said. “It’s a long process. I know a lot of people are on the fence about joining, as just 1 percent of Americans actually do it. It’s a rough road to start, but once you get into it and realize what you are doing is bettering yourself, it’s a great thing to be a part of.”

Several relatives of Allison have served, including two great-grandfathers — Leonard Broghammer and Vernen Allison — as well as great uncles, Cecil Phipps and Don Henrichs.