When her softball career ended in 2019, Sally Gastelo decided to trade in her softball jersey for a different kind of uniform. The former Arizona Western College and North Texas player enlisted in the US Air Force a few months after graduation and attended basic training this spring.
Reflecting on her initial decision to enlist, Gastelo said it came down to one simple consideration: “I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” she noted. Gastelo also credits Rodney DeLong, her college coach, with helping inspire her to trade in UNT green for Air Force blue.
“Coach DeLong said a quote in a huddle,” Gastelo recalled. “‘Serving others is when you’ll find the most joy in your life.’ After that day, I knew that I had to sign up after I was done with softball.”
Gastelo is the first in her family to join the military, but says she has long been around members of the service. “My travel softball coach was a Marine, and he would take his daughter and me to the base every day to practice,” Gastelo said. “I actually used to run the HITT [High Intensity Tactical Training] program for the Marine base in my hometown of Yuma, Arizona.”
An outfielder during her playing days, Gastelo spent two years at Arizona Western to begin her career and later transferred to North Texas for her final two seasons. After wrapping up her time in cleats, she spent the 2020 season as a coach at her first alma mater, helping lead the Matadors of Arizona Western until the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the 2020 season.
The Yuma native said that she chose the Air Force thanks to versatility within that branch of the service. “[It is] a branch full of opportunities,” Gastelo said. “I felt it was the best fit for me. At any point in your career, you can decide to cross train and go into whatever career field of your choice.” Just days after graduating from basic training, Gastelo is already at tech school, where she will seek to be a pharmacy technician.
If her accomplishments during basic training are any indication of what’s in store, Gastelo could be be in for a decorated career. She graduated basic training as the Top PT Female in her squadron and was “coined” by the commander; her feats en route to the classification included a 9:30 mile time. That number is more than two minutes faster than the average time for a female in her age bracket, according to healthline.com.
