A member of the NIU softball family is missing.

Tara Davidson, who played right field for the Huskies from 1997-’00, is overseas defending the country.

Davidson is a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps and is in charge of about 100 people overseas.

In her ninth year as head coach of NIU, Donna Martin said that if Davidson put her mind on something, she was going to do it. Davidson’s going into the Marines didn’t surprise Martin at all.

“Tara is a very motivated person,” Martin said. “She is very straight forward, which makes her perfect for the Marines. She has no problem speaking her mind and you always know where you stand with her; that’s important.”

Not only did Martin call Davidson a perfect teammate when she was on the team, her teammates really liked her, too.

Senior shortstop Shelby Bernard, who was injured her freshman year when she played with Davidson, remembers one thing in particular.

Bernard remembers that Davidson’s mom used to come and visit and see if she was OK. Davidson also gave Benard one of her teddy bears to help comfort her.

Martin described Davidson as small in stature, but said she made up for it with guts and hard work.

“She no longer likes sand,” said Martin, who corresponds with Davidson by e-mail. “She has a house or an apartment on the beach, and she’s really sorry because she could really do without seeing sand. She has also learned a lot about herself and how great of a country this really is.”

Davidson told Martin in an e-mail that she felt that she was more prepared than some of the other women because of the life experiences she has had before she joined the Marines.

“I don’t think that the Marines could have picked a better person than Tara,” Martin said. “I am very proud of her.”

Benard said she wouldn’t want another person defending her country than Davidson.

“She’s just a great person and she was a great teammate,” Davidson said.