Honoring the Troops

[RoaringRiot]

Congrats to our friend Miguel Vargas and his team for making this happen. Miguel is new to the Panthers this year from the Nets. He told me this has been a major project of his for the past 5 months. The Panthers are the first team to ever do something like this. Great job, Panthers! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 4, 2015

 

Carolina Panthers to Honor Fallen Heroes during Salute to Service Game Nov. 8 against Green Bay

Organization Adds New, Deeper Connection to Annual Service Member Recognition Efforts

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- To honor the memory of those who died in service to our country, Carolina Panthers players will wear a decal with the initials of a fallen service member on their helmets Nov. 8 when they face the Green Bay Packers. During the game, the service members will be honored in video tribute and their loved ones will be welcomed onto the field between the first and second quarters to receive a replica helmet with the decal, signed by their player.

 

“My father served 32 years in the U.S. Army, and the Armed Forces are very close to my heart,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. “Our service men and women exemplify commitment, integrity, selflessness and spirit. Our team is proud to recognize all who serve and their families, whose support makes service possible, and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

 

The week of the game, each player will receive a bio and picture of the service member they will honor. All fallen heroes have a connection to the Carolinas – they were natives of the region, trained or deployed from a base in the Carolinas. Recognized service members were identified and randomly paired with players with the help of the USO of North Carolina and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).

 

“It is a privilege for me to be able to pay tribute to someone who gave everything for our country,” Panthers cornerback and 2012 NFL Salute to Service award winner Charles Tillman said. “My dad served 20 years in the Army and the lessons he learned about teamwork and leadership have served me well throughout my life and while playing football. I’m honored to be a part of this program on Sunday and grateful to all the members of our Armed Forces for their service.”

 

This special recognition during the Nov. 8 game is part of the Panthers and the NFL’s annual Salute to Service military appreciation campaign. Each November, NFL clubs designate home games during the month to honor service members and veterans with the presentation of colors, special in-game tributes, stadium flyovers and localized military-themed activation as part of their Veterans Day celebrations. For every point scored during Salute to Service games, the league donates $100 to each of its three core, military nonprofit partners – the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO, and Wounded Warrior Project® – for a total of $300 per point. Since the campaign’s inception in 2011, the NFL has donated more than $4 million to its three military nonprofit partners. The funds have been used to build family centers on military bases, host physical health expos for injured veterans and provide scholarships for service members. For more information about Salute to Service visithttp://www.nfl.com/salute

 

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About the USO of North Carolina

The USO of North Carolina leads the way to enrich the lives of America’s military in the Carolinas by providing critical programs and services that improve their well-being.  Its mission is to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families.  Founded in 1941, the USO of NC is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of North Carolinians to support its programs and services.  The USO of NC touches more than 575,000 lives annually, helping our troops and their families through education, wellness, transition assistance and resiliency programs across the state.  The USO of NC is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of North Carolinians to support its programs and services. Combined Federal Campaign donors have joined thousands of individual donors, Bank of America, Cannon Foundation, Community Coffee, Harris Teeter, Kangaroo Express, Lenovo, Marine Federal Credit Union, Walmart and other corporate partners to support the USO of NC and our troops.  For more information visit www.uso-nc.org

 

, and to donate, visit https://uso-nc.org/donate-now/

 

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About TAPS

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 50,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, healing seminars and retreats for adults, camps for children, casework assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person care groups and the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline at 800.959.TAPS (8277) available for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org

 

 or call TAPS at 202.588.TAPS (8277).

 

[VerticalThreat]

Very cool. NASCAR does this for the Coca-Cola 600 replacing the drivers name on the windshield with a fallen veterans name. Really cool when the drivers get to know/share the story of our heroes. Well done, Panthers. Keep leading the way.  

[ladypanther]

Thanks for the info. What an awesome tribute as well as a great way to inspire this team.  I am sure our players will feel even more incentive.  Ron has a great way of helping our players keep their heads and keep perspective.

I like how the Panthers already honor our troops at every home game, twice....with the Row of Honor and then introducing a service man or woman and their family.

The Panthers are the classiest team in the NFL.

[wud35]

Saw this the other day. A very special and awesome thing to do. 

[KB_fan]

Great to see the Panthers do this.

For the MNF game, Charles Tillman also gave away a bunch of tickets to Military members who had someone nominate them via Twitter.  I think it was 4 or 5 active military or vets... You can see pix, ect. on Tillman's twitter,

https://twitter.com/peanuttillman

though you may have to scroll down a lot, Tillman has been tweeting alot with his new book just published...

 

 

 

[O-Ther]

North Carolina is one of only a handful of states in the union to have an installation of every branch of the Defense Dept.

Army=Fort Bragg

Navy=Cherry Point Naval Air Station

Air Force=Seymour Johnson and Pope Air Force Bases

Marines=Camp Lejeune

Coast Guard=Multiple points on the coast

It chapped my azz that the Panthers weren't seeming to do anything in the past to recognize the connections a lot of military servicemen had to the state. I'm glad to see the team making an effort to improve that.

[tiger7_88]

And one of the best thing about it is that, unlike Arthur Blank and his Falcunts, the Carolina Panthers DON'T HAVE TO BE BRIBED TO DO IT!

[jbeachbum24]

My young cousin will be on the field honoring the life of her father John Dozier who was killed in Sinsil, Iraq with 6 of his fellow soldiers. More info on them can be found here: http://www.vfwpost2894.org/Sinsil-7.html

Everybody be sure to cheer loud for her and the rest of TAPS!

[crowntownpanther]

Thanks to all those who serve.  I'm stationed up at NAS Oceana and am trying hard to get permission to do a flyover at one of the games.  Would be a great experience.  

[Devil Doc]

Awesome... I wonder if WWP will be giving away free tickets to the game.... Doubt it.

[jbeachbum24]

3 minutes ago, thebigcat said:

But did the military pay the Panthers for this honoring?

That's a good question and I hope not, but that said whatever it took to make it happen is well worth it. This is the second time my cousin has been a part of something like this at a Panthers game. A few years ago they sang at halftime which was really cool, nice that they can help create memories that will last forever.

[GhostP.]

1 hour ago, O-Ther said:

Navy=Cherry Point Naval Air Station (Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station) They do have navy personnel located here as well but it's not a navy base.

Marines=Camp Lejeune/Cherry Point

Fixed it for you

 

[RoaringRiot]

7 minutes ago, thebigcat said:

But did the military pay the Panthers for this honoring?

No....there's a difference between the Panthers honoring the families of the military and the military using football for recognition/recruiting. This is the former....

[nctarheel0619]

My first honoring of the Troops game I will miss in two years.  As a vet, I love these games.  Oh well.