JOE POSNANSKI COMMENTARY

KC native Scott Erwin’s hopes were never ambushed

Every so often, in this crazy business of writing about athletes and losing streaks and last-minute comebacks, you get to know a real hero. I’m not talking about the guy who catches the touchdown pass in the back of the end zone or the person who steadies the nerves and makes a twisting putt on the 18th green to force a playoff.

No, I’m talking about something else entirely. You might remember a young man named Scott Erwin. He went to Park Hill High School in Kansas City and when he finished college he had this crazy notion about changing the world. I first met him five years back when he was 22 years old and had this wild idea about bringing baseball to the children of Iraq. He was there, teaching Iraqis about democracy. He knew precisely how dangerous it was, but — like I say — he wanted to change the world. And he thought baseball fit right into his plans.

Then, one day, his car was ambushed. The two police officers with him in the car were killed. Scott was shot four times — one of those bullets bounced off a spare battery he happened to have in his chest pocket, near his heart. It took a series of miracles for him to survive. But he did survive.

And here’s the point: I always wonder what happens to heroes after they recover, after the movie ends and the sweeping music plays and the credits stop rolling. Do they lose hope? Do they feel bitter? Scott Erwin was only 22 when his car was riddled with bullets and his hopes were blocked. What happens? Would he still want to change the world? “Dear Joe,” Scott wrote. And then he wrote that he and some friends are swimming the English Channel on Saturday, the 65th anniversary of D-Day, in order to raise money for a charity called “The Mission Continues.” I’ll tell you a little bit about that in a minute.

But first: It turns out the Scott still wants to change the world.

Not long after he recovered from his injuries, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. He traveled to Oxford and began to study theology. He had originally planned to study international relations, but, he says, “after realizing just how blessed I was to still be ticking, I began to think more and more about what exactly made me tick.”

So, he has studied religion. And he has traveled around the world. He watched the Kansas-Michigan State NCAA Tournament game while in Moscow. He became more interested in swimming while in Istanbul. He fought losing arguments about the Royals and Chiefs in Oxford.

He did not find that his hopes dampened or his dreams crushed. He did not become pessimistic about the world. Quite the opposite. He writes that last year, while in school, he lived in a house with a Jamaican doctor, an Indian-American Marine Corps officer, a Russian-American scientist, a NCAA champion shot-putter and a former English Marine turned computer programmer. And, if anything, he became more certain that the world is a wonderful place filled with unlimited possibility.

No, the ambush did not break Scott Erwin. Saturday, he and five others — two other Rhodes Scholars and three Naval Academy graduates selected for SEAL training — will swim the English Channel. The idea is to raise $15,000 for a charity close to Scott’s heart — The Mission Continues is a charity in St. Louis that helps disabled veterans serve in their communities. The idea is something that hits close to home for Scott — here are all these American heroes, men and women who were wounded serving our country. And what is left for them, after the applause, after the cards and letters.

To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.

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