Fort Bragg Baseball League Offers Service Members Mental Health Support

A baseball league at Fort Bragg has drawn more than 150 veterans, military personnel, and active-duty members as the war with Iran enters its 10th week. Army veteran Tanner Kruse started the Bragg Baseball League in 2024 with just 40 soldiers.

"We have anywhere from privates brand new in the Army, all the way up to general officers who come out here and play," said Kruse, per ABC11.

Kruse served in Afghanistan. He built the program after losing over a dozen soldiers from his unit to suicide within six months of returning home. "I want to do whatever I can to prevent that from happening," he said.

The league includes six teams. It gives participants an outlet from the stress of deployments and conflict overseas.

"After being in this many years and deploying as many times as I have, I've had struggles," Master Sgt. Mark Williams of the 3rd Special Forces Group said. "This is another outlet, something to look forward to, a way to decompress."

The ongoing conflict has affected roster stability but more soldiers, including Spc. Matthew Gainey, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, are stepping onto the diamond to get a break from the barracks life. "Coming here, it's just something I look forward to," said Gainey.

The championship weekend will take place July 25 at Segra Stadium from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $15, and concessions and a kids' zone will be available.