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Sunday, April 13, 2003

Pirates first baseman Kevin Young, a deeply religious man, said he can't help but smile each night when he finishes praying for the safety of his brother, Jason, an ammunitions sergeant in the Marines.

"I close my eyes and I can see him in one of Saddam's big palaces, sitting on one of his couches, his feet up on a table, a cigar in his mouth and a big, ol' grin on his face," Young said.

"If you know him at all, you know that's him."

Many of the Pirates do know Jason Bright, 22, which is why he has become the face of the war in their clubhouse. Young, who is 11 years older, frequently paid to bring him to games when he was on leave. "Less than a year ago, he was sitting in our dugout in Montreal. Now, he's fighting for his country in Iraq. Unbelievable," Young said, shaking his head. The Pirates enjoyed Bright's company, loved hearing his Marine stories, loved hearing about his desert training in California and his service time in Japan. They can't wait to see him again -- back home safely -- and hear his tales of Iraq. He and Jason Kendall became especially close.

That's why Young, Kendall and so many of the other Pirates are addicted to the war coverage. "I know I fall asleep to it every night," Young said. Like anyone who has someone close in Iraq, Young studies the television screen intently, hoping against hope for a glimpse of his brother, his only sibling. He last talked to his brother Feb. 7, the day Bright left for Kuwait. The family last received a letter from him March 13, right before he moved into Iraq. Can you blame Young if he wants to believe he saw Bright in that joyous scene in Baghdad Wednesday when the 20-foot statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled?

The other war images haven't been so uplifting. Young knows more than 100 American soldiers have been killed or are missing in action. He reads the newspaper stories of the sporadic fighting that's ongoing and the constant threat of suicide bombers. He sees the pictures of grieving family members, mourning their unspeakable and unfathomable loss.

"Jason went into this with his eyes open," Young said. "He knows the risks. I know the risks. But I truly believe everything is going to turn out well. You have to believe the Lord is watching over all of us."

Bright shares Young's faith, which, Young admits, creates a fascinating dichotomy that's frequently lost in the pro-or-con war hysteria. Bright's job is to do whatever it takes to overthrow the Hussein government and save the world from its weapons of mass destruction. Young said he's very good at it. Yet, the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill." There is no middle ground there.

"We've talked about that," Young said. "The Bible also says, 'This is your job ... Do it with the best of your might.' My brother is at peace. He believes in why he's there. I believe in it. We both know it's necessary."

Bright, who enlisted four years ago, not long after finishing high school in Kansas City, had intended to leave the Marines at the end of February and enroll in a technical school in the Phoenix area or perhaps Arizona State University. Young and his wife and son live in Phoenix during the off-season.

But Bright's plans were put on hold when the war became inevitable.

The way Young looks at it, Bright was meant to be in Iraq. He describes his brother as "barely half the size of me" -- maybe 5-10 or 5-11, 175 pounds -- "but 175 pounds of whup-ass! ...

"He was always one of those kids who needs to be challenged. He was the type who gets bored real quickly. I think he looked around in Kansas City and saw a bunch of people who weren't really going anywhere with their lives. He wanted to do better than that. He just had to find something to stimulate him. He needed that rush."

Young is guessing Bright found it in Iraq.

It troubles Young that many Americans seem to take their service men and women for granted. It saddens him when he thinks about what will happen the next time he, Kendall and Bright go out after a game. People will flock to him and Kendall the way they always do merely because they can hit a baseball and get paid obscene money to do it. They will ignore Bright, the real hero in the group, the guy who -- these are Young's words -- "was putting it on the line for their behind in Iraq ...

"He always looked up to me as the older brother, but I can promise you I'm the one who looks up to him now," Young said. "I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him. I'm proud of who he is and what he represents. He and the rest of our troops are risking their lives to provide a safe haven for us. That job should never be taken lightly."

Young said he has a feeling the war will make Bright reconsider his decision to leave the Marines. That might not be such a bad thing. Young isn't so sure Bright wouldn't be safer in the service than as a civilian in Phoenix.

"He's always told me his dream is to be a firefighter."

Somehow, that figures.