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Cpl. JR Spears Coed Softball Tournament Team, Sponsor Registrations Open

The Cpl. JR Spears Coed Softball Tournament will be held in October, but now is the time for teams and sponsors to sign up.

The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. on October 7 at Exchange Park with all proceeds going to the Jonathan Ross Spears Memorial Endowed Scholarship fund at Pensacola State College. This will be a coed slow pitch softball double elimination tournament with eight teams.

Team registration is $200. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available ranging from $100 to $1,000. For more information, email John.G.Hills88@gmail.com or call (703) 228-9874.

Corporal Jonathan Ross “JR” Spears was born on June 30, 1984, to Tim and Marie Spears of Molino.

JR grew up in Molino and attended Bratt Elementary, Barrineau Park Elementary and Ransom Middle schools before graduating in 2002 from Tate High School where he was an offensive lineman for the Aggies. Following graduation, he attended Pensacola Junior College where he was on the dean’s list. During this time, JR succeeded in his goal of losing 80 pounds so that he could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a United States Marine..

JR enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2003, completed recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and graduated the infantry school at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, in February 2004.

JR’s first permanent duty station was with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine regiment, in 29 Palms, California. While stationed there, JR completed several specialized training courses and was particularly proud of receiving his EMT certification. From April through October 2004, he served his first tour of duty in Iraq.

In September 2005, JR and his unit were deployed to Iraq for a second tour of duty. On October 23, 2005, JR’s unit was attacked by Iraqi enemy forces in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. JR was killed in action saving another Marines life.

In 2008 the parents of Cpl. JR Spears started an endowment scholarship in his honor. The fund currently has a balance of $32,000 with yearly investment earnings of just over $1,000. Yearly, the investment earnings are awarded as a scholarship to student.

The goal for this and future tournaments is to increase the fund balance to $100,000. At that level, the investment should triple causing the scholarship to be even more helpful all in the name of a hometown hero.