Gatesville High hosts military appreciation night

Photo By Spc. Joshua Morris | Major Gen. Erik Peterson, the commanding general of Division West First Army in Fort Hood, Texas, shakes hands and jokes with a referee before the Gatesville versus University high school football game kick-off on Sept. 15 in Gatesville, Texas. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Joshua Morris, 301st Public Affairs Detachment)  

GATESVILLE, TX, UNITED STATES

09.18.2017

Story by Spc. Joshua Morris 

301st Public Affairs Detachment

Military appreciation night has been a tradition of the Gatesville Hornets for over five years. Yancey Sanderson, the principal of Gatesville High School, says that the student body starts preparation for the night hours in advance.

"We've been doing this for many years here at Gatesville and it's a lot of fun," Sanderson said. "The military is a very important part of our community and we try do as much as we can to show appreciation to our troops. Our kids all know that it's military appreciation day, and they are excited to be a part of it."

Before kick-off, Gatesville residents hosted a tailgate party for Soldiers from units that are slated to deploy in the near future. Various meats like squirrel, venison, and pork were all on the menu for the Soldiers to enjoy.

Diana Fincher, a coordinator for the North Fort Hood Ministry, was one of the many members of the community there to ensure that the troops were being fed.

"This community is strongly veteran." Fincher said. "We understand here that they are us, as Reservist and National Guard. We know that they've left their families and careers behind to go in defense of our country."

The Hornets have been successful for the majority of their military appreciation night games.

"I think they always pick the game that they really don't know if they are going to beat them or not so the military can be there for support." Fincher said. "We have noticed that we have only lost one game in all the years that we have been doing this."

The guest of honor for the night was Maj. Gen. Erik Peterson, the commanding general of First Army Division West and the acting-commanding general of Fort Hood. After the presentation of the colors, Peterson, along with captains from each team, took the field to give the ceremonial coin toss. After the flip, Peterson spoke with those players.

"I wanted to encourage them to have a competitive game," Peterson said, "but reminded them that more important than the game was the teamwork, the sportsmanship, and the character that's developed amongst their teams."

After the first half of play, Peterson was taken to the radio tower where he addressed everyone in the crowd and expressed his gratitude.

"Division West has a special relationship with the town of Gatesville." Peterson said. "They have a reputation for being very generous and very gracious hosts to our Soldiers, both our permanent party and our mobilizing forces."

After leaving the tower, Peterson was met with applause from the crowd of students, parents, and Soldiers.

"First and foremost, our purpose here is to keep our Army connected to the American people that it serves," Peterson said. "Our second purpose is to genuinely thank these very generous folks from Central Texas, and Gatesville in particular, for their enduring selfless support of our Soldiers, so we can look them in their eyes and let them know that they make a difference in the eyes of our Soldiers and our families."

Gatesville ended the night with a 49-20 victory.

• Date Taken: 09.18.2017
• Date Posted: 09.18.2017 14:29
• Story ID: 248688
• Location: GATESVILLE, TX, US