Photo By Cpl. George Fuller | Army Sgt. 1st Class Madeline Diaz announces the NFL draft pick for the Seattle...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Service members from all branches joined the Seattle Seahawks at a draft day event here May 2. The event brought military families, the local community and members of the Seahawks organization together to show appreciation to services members.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Madeline Diaz, the noncommissioned officer in charge, 47th Combat Support Hospital announced the 130th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. For the pick, the Seahawks selected Terry Poole, a graduate of San Diego State and native of Seaside, California.
Diaz said she was honored to have the opportunity to announce one of the draft picks, remarking that her son is now a diehard Seahawks fan.
Diaz even admitted to being a little nervous at first, but when she looked at the crowd of her fellow service members, she felt her nerves calm.
The event was held in a hangar on McChord Field with static displays of military equipment and NFL memorabilia. Service members and their families were able to interact with football players from the Seahawks.
Air Force Col. David Kumashiro, 62nd Air Lift Wing commander, said, the Seahawks draft day event was an incredible event for our service members. It takes a lot of work to put an event like this together, as a team we made this happen through the generous support of the United Services Automobile Association, Seahawks Organization, NFL and the USO.
Kumashiro said this event is about working together as a team, and it represents all the branches of service as service members announced the Seahawks draft picks.
Events like these allow service members opportunities to interact with people that they might not have meet otherwise, said Kumashiro.
“We value teamwork, camaraderie, sacrifice and dedication,” said Kumashiro. “These are all things we share with professional sports teams, when you look at an organization like the Seahawks, who have achieved so much within the community, for us as a military to partner with them it really means a lot.”
Maureen Elliott, a spouse from the Warrior Transition Unit, said it was amazing to see so many service members out in support of the Seahawks. Having a family friendly event like this was very encouraging.
Elliott said meeting the Seahawks players was her favorite part the event. Seeing the Seahawks bring the community together made her feel right at home.
Hosting the first part of the event was Greg Scruggs, defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks. He said that being able to do an event like this meant a lot to him. These are the people that allow him to play the game of football and interacting with the family members was an opportunity for him to give back, Scruggs added.
“There’s so much value in an event like this, because sometimes we can lose sight of who’s protecting us,” said Scruggs. “These are the people that allow me to go play football on Sunday. We, as an organization, are grateful to the military for all their sacrifices and to all the committed souls that help us. When we get to bring them to the football games, or visit the VA hospitals or give back to the men and women of the military, we jump at the opportunity.”
Scruggs said playing in the super bowl is one of his greatest experiences, but being able to shake the hands of each service member was his biggest highlight today.
Army Capt. Vanessa Goldson, a psychologist with the 98th Stress Control Company, said the event was a great display of community outreach. There are so many parallels between the military and sports that show the importance of teamwork, Goldson said.
“With the Army Resiliency model teaching Soldiers to bounce back, an event like this reinforces that model by being able to participate in something the whole family can enjoy with their favorite teams,” said Goldson.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2015 17:58 |
| Story ID: | 163242 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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