Galena player has slow communication with father in Middle East

Even though Ryan Plemmons is a half a world away from his father, they still maintain the All-American relationship that many sons and dads have.

They talk baseball.

While Plemmons is an all-High Desert League first team first baseman who plays for the Galena High baseball team, his father, Col. Paul Plemmons is serving as a supply and maintenance officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Middle East.

Plemmons and his father have had plenty to talk about lately. The Grizzlies will open play at 9 a.m. today against Centennial in Henderson in the NIAA/U.S. Bank 4A State Championships.

Being the son of an officer serving in a war, Plemmons clearly understands the insignificance of playing high school baseball in the grand scheme of things. But his exploits on the field has also provided his father with a form of escape during the more difficult times of war, Plemmons said.

"When it gets chaotic, he likes to talk to me about baseball," Plemmons said.

But lately that hasn't come often. Even though Plemmons and his father have cell phones and e-mail to communicate, it hasn't been easy. Plemmons' father is constantly on convoys between Kuwait and Iraq. When Plemmons' is on those convoys, he's cut off from all communication.

"We can't really talk to him for three or four days at a time," Ryan said.

Plemmons said his mother, Nancy, talked to his father for the first time in a week-and-half on Monday. That was when Plemmons' father learned that Galena had made the state tournament. Plemmons talked to his father for the first time in almost three weeks late that night.

Digital photographs also help as Plemmons and his father send each other photos of what they've been up to . Plemmons' father sent him photos from Baghdad.

Plemmons is obviously proud of his father. "My whole life, he's been doing stuff like that," said Plemmons about his father's service in Iraq. "Just the stuff he's been doing my whole life has been amazing to me."

The sense of pride that Plemmons feels in his father has had such an impact on him, he plans to follow in his footsteps. Plemmons plans to attend the University of Tampa in Florida next year on an ROTC scholarship and enter the military as an officer upon graduation.

It's a little different route than his father took, who enlisted in the Army out of high school to earn enough money for college before entering the ROTC program at Cal Poly Pomona.

Plemmons came to Galena by way of Pennsylvania when his father became the commander of the once closed, but now reopened Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, Calif., which is about an hour from the Galena area.

"That's why we had to move out here," said Plemmons, who admitted he didn't like having to move to Galena for his senior year.

"It turned out to be nice," he said. "It's a great place. We move every year or two."

Plemmons said his father never tried to push him into a military career, although he did tell his son he should think about it. But Plemmons' father also made sure that his son wasn't planning on a military career to please him.

"It's a really good life," Plemmons said. "I really couldn't see myself turning away from it."

Ryan said his father has been told he'll have to stay in the Middle East at least another 50 days.

"And every day, they're trying to make him stay longer," Ryan said.

FRY'S MILITARY CONNECTION

Plemmons isn't the only Galena player with a parent serving in the military. Sophomore Ben Fry's both parents, Lee and Sarah Fry, are colonels in the Marines. Since both are stationed in Hawaii, it's been much easier for Fry to communicate with his parents than it has for Plemmons to keep in touch with his father.

Fry's mother spent three months in Kuwait last fall, but came home before Christmas.

"I was really gratified that she got out of there, especially with everything going on," Ben Fry said. "I was very fortunate to spend Christmas with her."

GALENA VS. CENTENNIAL

Galena, the No. 3 seed from the Northern 4A, faces a tough opening task against Centennial, which was ranked as one of the nation's top teams to begin the season.

"I think our mind set is kind of a new lease on life," said Galena coach Gary McNamara, whose team qualified for the state tournament by beating Wooster on Saturday in the Northern 4A third-place game. "If we play to our potential the wins will take care of themselves."

Since Galena will have to play two games today, win or lose, McNamara said he'll start Warren Whitley against Centennial, saying that Whitley matches up better against Centennial. McNamara said that his No. 1 starter, Tim Thompson, will start the second game.