Photo By Gregory Mitchell | PENSACOLA, Fla. (June 25, 2019)- From left to right, Marine Pfc. Chris Howard-Pitney,...... read more read more
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Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola service members, civilian employees and other Department of Defense (DoD) employees had the opportunity to witness the unveiling of a replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a Salute to Service Tour event held on the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Portside Lawn June 25.
Named in honor of late National Football League (NFL) head coach Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls, the trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the Super Bowl.
Along with viewing the trophy, those in attendance had the opportunity to participate in four performance-measuring mechanisms: throwing, catching, kicking and the tread sled, which is used by offensive linemen to gauge their power off stance to initial blocking force.
“During the course of this interactive NFL experience, we hope that service members and their families gain an appreciation for what we are doing for them,” said Joel Wood, Salute to Service Pro Day tour manager. “This takes a load off of their everyday routine simply by having some fun with the challenge stages and being able to see the Lombardi Trophy.”
In addition to the performance measuring mechanisms, those in attendance had the opportunity to register to win four tickets to the 2020 Pro Bowl, scheduled for the week before Super Bowl LIV, which will be held February 2, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. A Madden Football video game venue consisting of giant screen monitors for play was provided for enjoyment as well.
”I have seen similar venues like this one on TV, but never had the opportunity to actually see one in person,” said Aviation Technician Airman Bradford Hakins, a student enrolled at Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC). “This is really cool to have this opportunity to test our skills and take a photo with the trophy, but I also like the fact that the base allows events like this to give us something new to experience while we are here for school.”
For others, the trophy and attractions touched on a more personable level. Marine Pfc. Jacob Toman is a native of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, which is approximately one hour away from Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, his favorite team. Every year since he was 10, his parents would take him to attend the teams’ off-season training camp.
“I think it’s awesome to be able to come here and experience something like this while being on active duty,” said Toman. “Obviously I am not able to attend the Steelers camp while I am here, but what this does is provide some connection to what I was doing back home.”
Volunteer team members supporting the event expressed a deep since of pride and service to the local community.
“Military personnel generally have an affinity and a passion for sports,” said Chris Glennon, a volunteer and retired U.S. Navy Force Master Chief.
“Each branch of service is looking for physically fit young Americans to come into the military and football is one of these things that every American seems to at least know about – if not have a passion for. For myself, being a retired veteran, this is one of those types of events that gives me the opportunity to say thank you and give back to our service members and their families.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2019 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 329480 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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