Every time Tucson high trainer Mike Boese comes to Cherry Field, Chris Moon comes to mind. “He was probably, the most gifted athlete I’ve seen”, said Boese. Now everyone who visits Cherry Field will remember Chris Moon. “But beyond that, it was his character.”
A gifted athlete with ability to play professional baseball, Chris Moon was killed in 2010 after sustaining injuries from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Moon made such an impact on Boese, he set out to memorialize his legacy forever.
“This kid was the high school version of Pat Tillman,” said Boese. “Gave up a lot to serve our country and both paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
A 6 year project, working to build a statue of Moon, Mike Boese unexpectedly garnered his own level of respect.
“You know, mike's a special guy,” said Tucson high head baseball coach Oscar Romero. “And when all this took place you know, we sat down and we thought about this and it became a dream.”
“It's bigger than me,” says Boese. “There's been somebody upstairs that has done so much.”
Chris's story has seen national attention, as their fundraising efforts have reached nearly 70,000 dollars.
“The memory he leaves behind for all kids to follow and share is to follow your dream,” said Romero. Obviously his dream was the love of baseball but he had that other dream and that was being in the armed services.
All of Mike's hard work and dedication these last several years will finally come to fruition on March 27th as Chris’s statue is finally dedicated at Cherry Field overlooking the very field in which he played.
