LOS ANGELES – All across baseball there were tributes, special team uniforms and moments of silence Monday on Memorial Day. But for Braves left fielder Jonny Gomes, every day is one in which he pays tribute to those who serve in the United States military, and one way he does is with a large tattoo on his lower left leg.
He has plenty of other tattoos, most of them in tribute to family and a best friend who died in a car crash with Gomes in the car when they were in high school. But the colorful montage of illustrations that entirely cover his left leg below the knee are devoted to members of the U.S. military.
“It’s a tribute to the United States and the soldiers, a tribute tattoo,” said Gomes, who got the tattoo in 2010. “It’s got the Statue of Liberty for the East Coast, Golden Gate Bridge for the West Coast, bald eagle, two World War 2 planes, and then it’s got 05-01-11, the day we shot Bin Laden.”
Gomes said he doesn’t have any family who serves or has served in the military, but he was going to join the Marines before being offered a contract by the Tampa Bay Rays.
“In 2001 after my second year of junior college,” he said. “My school and playing days were pretty much over, I didn’t have any college scholarships anywhere. It was time for the next chapter. I was in talks with the Marines at the time, and unexpectedly got asked to go to a workout/tryout with Tampa (Bay).
“I guess I opened some eyes there, and went from not having a college scholarship to play ball, to playing professionally. So right after the June draft I had two contracts on my table, one to go play ball and one to go to the Marines. Obviously you have choices to go where you want, so it wasn’t like (military) was the last choice, something I didn’t want to do. I wanted to.”
Asked about the reaction he gets from military members who see the tattoo, Gomes said, “They love it whenever I show it to them. They just can’t believe someone has it that hasn’t served. They’re pretty stoked when they see it.”
Gomes said he loves how Major League Baseball has gotten so involved with honoring the military in the past decade. But to him, Memorial Day isn’t the only day to pay tribute to soldiers.
“Every day is,” he said. “I don’t take my freedom for granted.”
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