Edwards Airman to represent Armed Forces in international soccer tournament

  • Published
  • By Kate Blais
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A field full of Tasmanian devils running in a pack, tirelessly chasing a rolling object for four straight quarters is 1st Lt. Erin Wallace's first memory of playing the game she still loves. She was four, her jersey was yellow and her mother was the coach.

Twenty years later, Wallace, 773rd Test Squadron Human Factors engineer at the F-22 Combined Test Force, is still playing competitive soccer. Moving on from the Tasmanian Devils, her YMCA team, she's now representing the Air Force on the All-Armed Forces women's soccer team for the second straight season.

"It's a family sport, so we all played at some point," said Wallace of her and eight siblings. "But I still play because I like the team aspect and competitiveness of it."

The lieutenant began playing competitively when she was 9-years-old, traveling year-round with her club teams and continued to play through college when she attended the Air Force Academy.

After graduating from the Academy, she tried out for the All-Armed Forces team.

"There were probably 50 people who tried out," recalled Wallace. "They took 18 and I got picked up for goalie."

Lieutenant Wallace reported to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. July 5 for this year's training camp. She and her teammates will practice for a week and a half and then travel straight to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to represent the United States and compete in the 2011 Conseil International du Sport Militaire Military World Games, which run from July 16 to July 24.

"As a team sport member, the [2011] CISM Military Games in Brazil is the highest level of military sporting competition an active duty member could participate in," said Steven Lowe, 95th Force Support Squadron sports director.

According to the event's website, the multisport tournament will host more than 100 countries.

"It's really awesome to be able to wear a jersey that says 'USA' on it," said Wallace. "At the beginning of the tournament we all [participating nations] have to wear our service dress and walk out in a parade, and you can just tell that we look sharper. We walk taller and more proud."

Drawing parallels between representing the U.S. Armed Forces on the soccer field and serving in the Air Force is easy for the goalkeeper.

"You'll always be part of a team when you're in the Air Force," she said. "You learn to work with others, learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and gain the ability to communicate with one another."

"Playing soccer my whole life taught me how to manage my schedule [between practices and homework]," she continued. "And as far as discipline goes, it helps me make sure I keep my head on straight and listen to my superiors."

She has proven her ability to listen to her superiors and perform to high standards.

"Erin's work at the F-22 CTF has been nothing short of excellent," said Paul Robinson, 773rd Test Squadron Human Systems Integration flight chief. "She has frequently been tasked to write test plans and execute them in very short notice."

Being dynamic and clutch as a goalkeeper on the soccer field is the same way Wallace approaches her job at Edwards.

"I know from the team she works with at the F-22 this is the way she approaches everything in life," said Robinson. "She also shows amazing self-discipline through her dedication to a key passion in her life: soccer."