Major League Lacrosse and the Armed Forces have always had a long and distinguished relationship. From the number of players that have made the jump to the MLL from the three military academies, the charitable partnership efforts with organizations like Wounded Warrior Foundation and to the home stadium of the Bayhawks being Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Most recently, the relationship will have a bit of a homecoming as an MLL player will be making his return to the League after an amazing military commitment and achievement.
Second Lieutenant Garrett Thul, or “The Thulk” as the lacrosse community has affectionately dubbed the 6-foot-3, 230lb attacker, will be taking the field for the Charlotte Hounds for the first time in the 2015 MLL season. Thul, a graduate of the United States Military Academy or West Point, was the 21st overall selection in the 2013 MLL Collegiate Draft and was picked first overall in the 2015 Supplemental Draft by the Charlotte Hounds this past offseason. Just two weeks ago, Thul completed one of the most difficult accomplishments in Army leadership school there is; Ranger School.
“It was probably one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. I mean talking about the physical aspect and the mental aspect; it was pretty taxing. They probably weren’t any harder than the hardest lacrosse practices I’ve ever had, but you throw a lot of really tough days back to back for two-plus months, and it adds up on your body and your mind,” said Thul.
With a 58 percent fail rate at Ranger School, the Second Lieutenant found his motivation from within. “I’m not a very extrinsically motivated person; I’m very intrinsically motivated. You know, getting to wear a tab on your uniform and everybody in the Army thinking you’re cool but what I wanted was to prove to myself that I can do the Army’s toughest leadership school. I wanted to put myself through a man-card check to see if I could do it. I wanted to prove to myself that I was one of the toughest guys in the Army.”
Thul did just that as he worked through the obstacles and tasks thrown his way throughout the three-phase, two month leadership school. “There’s the Benning Phase which is the first phase and it’s very physical. But then you have Mountain Phase and the Swamp Phase; which is located in Florida. I’d say Mountain Phase was probably the toughest physically because you’re literally climbing mountains with a 100 pound rucksack and your body is just completely broken down at that point. Then there’s the Florida phase which is probably the toughest mentally because it’s the end and you literally just need one go on your patrol and to pass your peer evaluation. And then you get to Ranger Town so you have that dangling in front of you. It’s definitely a mental challenge to stay focused through to the end.”
Now that Second Lieutenant Thul has completed Ranger School, he is off to Airborne School, where Thul said, “You learn how to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!” After that, Thul will be permanently changing his duty station to Fort Bragg where he hopes to get a platoon and start his command for the next few years. Down the road though, Thul has more in mind for his military career. “I’d like to continue on and maybe do Ranger Regiment or Special Forces,” Thul said.
Alongside Thul’s high aspirations on the military front, his plans for his lacrosse career are no small order either. “At this point, every time I get to put my cleats on and get to go out and call myself a pro lacrosse player is a great day. In the army and the military we like to put quantitative goals out there and I would hate to just go out there aimlessly and say, ‘Oh it’s a great day just to be a lacrosse player.’ I definitely want to be one of those guys that you see every single Saturday playing. I guess my goal for the future is to continue to be that guy that’s always on the 19 man roster despite where I am or what I’m doing with the military but any time I can put my cleats on and get out there and throw the ball around will be good enough for me.”
You can see Garrett’s return to the field Saturday July 25 as the Charlotte Hounds take on the Chesapeake Bayhawks live from Navy-Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD or stream it live onESPN3.
