When former Arlington lacrosse goalie Jase Gallaher stepped onto the field to face the rival Bartlett Panthers on March 10th, 2020, he had no idea that it would be his last lacrosse game ever. He also could have never anticipated being deployed in the Middle East just over 2 years later.
When Jase decided to try playing lacrosse in his sophomore year of high school, he just wanted something to do outside of school. However, he quickly became one of Arlington’s best players, leading the Tigers to a 9-4 record, including an undefeated 6-0 record in division play, and a playoff appearance in his junior season. Expectations were high heading into his senior year. These expectations were largely being met through 4 games, which included a 3-1 record and his first career shutout. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rest of the season, along with his graduation, was cancelled.
Out of high school, Jase decided to join the Memphis Police Department as a PST. Doing this, Jase worked mainly car crashes and other minor disputes, but he still wasn’t getting the thrill he was seeking. That is why almost a year after his senior season was canceled, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps. Jase spent the summer of 2021 going through Marine Corps boot camp, located in Paris Island, South Carolina. After many more months of training on various bases throughout the United States, Jase was deployed to Bahrain in early July.
Beyond the extensive exercises, training, and missions, Jase has really enjoyed being able to experience a different part of the world. “Being in the Middle East, we’ve been able to go out in different countries and be a part of their culture and see what that’s like in their day to day lives, not just military setting, so that’s been pretty cool.”
Jase credits many things for his military career, but perhaps chief among those things is his experience playing lacrosse. “My experience playing lacrosse, and playing sports in general, really benefited me going into the Marine Corps.” Jase hopes that others will follow his path and join the military, particularly the Marine Corps, after playing sports at Arlington High School.
