METS AND THE USO TO HOST FOURTH ANNUAL MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY
MEMORIAL DAY, MONDAY, MAY 30 AT CITI FIELD
Pre-Game Festivities Include Performances By the USO Liberty Bells, US Marine Corp Band;
More than 1,400 Solders and Their Families Will Be in Attendance
FLUSHING, N.Y., May 26, 2011 – The New York Mets and the USO will host the fourth annual Military Appreciation Day Memorial Day, Monday, May 30 at Citi Field before the 7:10 p.m. Mets-Pirates game. More than 1,400 solders and their families will be in attendance for special ceremonies and performances honoring our troops.
The USO Liberty Bells will perform on the field before the game and the 35-member United States Marine Corp Band will be playing on Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda to greet fans as they enter the ballpark. There will be a joint enlistment ceremony on the field for 16 new members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, and three families of solders currently serving overseas will speak with their loved ones via satellite on Citi Vision.
There will be two special ceremonial first pitches before the game. The first one will be thrown live via satellite from Afghanistan by Command Sergeant Major Drew E. Pumarejo 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army. Major General Richard Mills, U.S. Marine Corp will take the ball at Citi Field.
At the conclusion of the National Anthem, which will be performed by the United States Marine Corp Band, two U.S. Navy F18E Super Hornets will execute a flyover.
In the middle of the 7th inning, the Mets will introduce five members of the armed forces who have been decorated for courage and bravery.
Engineman Second Class Timothy Carlton was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic achievement with combat operations in Iraq. Carlton, who currently serves on the USS New York, prevented an attack against an oil terminal and helped his fellow teammates to safety first despite sustaining severe injuries himself.
Staff Sergeant Don Leinfelder received the Purple Heart for wounds sustained as a result of hostile enemy action in Baghdad. He is a member of the Fighting 69th Infantry from New York.
Sergeant Timothy Gould, also a member of the Fighting 69th Infantry from New York was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for injuries sustained in combat operations in Afghanistan.
SPC Ismael E. Diaz was awarded the ARCOM with “V” Device for leading the Afghan National Army during an ambush and mounting a counterattack under heavy enemy fire.
First Lieutenant Matthew A. Krempel received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with V and Purple Heart for actions in Marjah, Afghanistan.
The Mets-Pirates game will be broadcast worldwide on the American Forces Network to over 175 countries and all U.S. Navy ships at sea.
Earlier in the day, the Mets and Citi will kick off “Teammates in the Community Week” at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum with players and front-office executives by participating in the Memorial Day Commemoration. Military Appreciation Day and the military theme for “Teammates Week” builds on the Mets’ ongoing commitment to support our troops through “Welcome Back Veterans,” a national public awareness and fundraising initiative that addresses the mental health and employment needs of America’s returning war veterans and their families. The Mets also salute a “Veteran of the Game” at each Mets game at Citi Field.
