A little more than 15 months ago, Ryan McSweeny was enjoying the comparative innocence of playing high school baseball, patrolling centerfield and batting second in the lineup for the Marion Indians.

It was June 17, 2010, when McSweeny played his last game in a doubleheader at Waterloo Columbus. The Indians swept the twinbill by scores of 3-2 and 19-12 and McSweeny knocked in two runs in the nightcap.

A few days later, he was off to basic training in the Marine Corps, a commitment he had made the previous March.

“My dad’s friend was in World War II and he had told me stories about being in the Marines,’’ McSweeny said. “That’s what I wanted to do.’’

McSweeny was deployed to Afghanistan last spring as an infantryman. In May, his unit was hit by a dust storm and hurriedly tried to complete their day’s mission.

An improvised explosive device (IED) went off and injured many in the company. McSweeny suffered severe injuries to his left side, especially his leg and arm. He has undergone 15 surgeries to repair his leg and remove shrapnel.

Lance Corporal McSweeny is home on a 30-day leave. He attends rehabilitation four days a week for 1 to 2 hours per day.

“I ride a bike, do leg presses and squats, trying to get some range of motion back,’’ he said. “I can’t run like I used to because of my knee and the scar tissue.’’

McSweeny was a good three-sport athlete at Marion. In his senior year, he intercepted a pass and had 11 rushes for 26 yards. He also wrestled for the Indians.

McSweeny started 47 of 51 games in his last two seasons on the baseball team, hitting .363 as a junior and .250 as a senior. He led the squad in fewest strikeouts (5 in 102 at-bats) as a junior and led the team in sacrifices as a senior.

He said his high school athletic experience has helped him some in his recovery. Sports often contributes to life experiences, unless you’ve been involved in a war.

“No, there’s really no comparison,’’ he said. “But it’s helped when I went into the military. When I got hurt, I didn’t want to get down on myself. That’s where wrestling and the mental toughness of the sport helped.’’

Despite his love of sports, McSweeny wanted to honor a commitment he had made to himself many years before.

“When I was a kid and 9/11 happened ... all those people getting killed ... I made a choice then that I wanted to fight for my country,’’ he said.

McSweeny attended Marion’s season-opening football game and was greeted with hugs and handshakes from the players before the game.

This week, he will be Grand Marshal for the Marion Homecoming, pretty heady stuff for a 20-year-old. The Indians host DeWitt Central Friday night.

“I’ll be honored to do it but, yes, I guess it seems kind of odd for me to do it,’’ McSweeny said. “It’s just been nice coming back to see the guys and the coaches I hadn’t seen in more than a year.’’

McSweeny will leave Oct. 10 for Hawaii, where he will join his fellow Marines on leave. He will continue his rehab there.

Asked what he plans to be doing a year from now, McSweeny didn’t hesitate. “Hopefully I’ll still be in the Marines and keep my job as an infantryman. I made a four-year commitment and I want to keep it.’’

The days of flagging down fly balls or trying to hit a curveball have quickly passed for McSweeny. Committing an error or going 0-for-3 doesn’t seem quite so devastating now that life has become a whole lot more serious.

(Mark Dukes is former sports editor of the Cedar Rapid Gazette. He is co-host of The Gym Class radio show weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600.)