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Hudson grad stands for freedom abroad, at home

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June 9, 2010

by Tim Troglen

Reporter

Hudson -- Josh Holden is in the business of freedom.

He has fought for it in an Iraqi desert and played for it on a diamond of grass.

In December, the 1999 Hudson High School grad and captain in the U.S. Army returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. His unit, the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, had been in Mosul, Iraq, since December 2008.

But it's not only the field of battle the decorated combat veteran has fought on. In May, Holden, 29, who played professional baseball in the Cincinnati Reds organization, represented the U.S. Army in the Major League Baseball Civil Rights Game and Youth Summit in Cincinnati.

The game was part of a weekend to honor Civil Rights.

"It was a really great event," Holden said on June 3 from his base in Fort Hood Texas. "And it sounded like a great opportunity to celebrate the great baseball players who came before me."

The weekend included a ceremony to honor Negro League baseball players, with former major leaguers Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in attendance.

"It was a thrill when Hank Aaron walked into the room," Holden said. "Everybody's heart stopped."

Holden is a 2003 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played both football and baseball.

Holden attended a Cincinnati Reds open tryout ins 2004 and was signed to the organization, becoming the first soldier to participate in the Alternative Service Option, which allows soldiers to be professional athletes while continuing to serve their country.

"It went pretty well," Holden said. "The Army let me play pro baseball for three years."

During his baseball career, he served as operations officer for U.S. Army Accessions Command, the recruiting arm of the Army, at Fort Knox, Ky.

Holden's military decorations and awards include: the Army Commendation Medal, with three oak leaf clusters; the National Defense Service Medal; the Army Achievement Medal, with two oak leaf clusters; the Iraqi Campaign Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Army Service Ribbon and the Parachutist Badge.

He called his time in Iraq "a tough fight."

"We were sent there right after the surge," he said. "It [the surge] pushed all the insurgents back to Mosul."

While Holden no longer lives in Hudson, he still calls it his home.

"I credit Hudson with making me who I am today," he said. "It's a great place to live and I'll always be proud to say I'm from Hudson."

E-mail: ttroglen@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146




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