Old Dominion University, ADS Inc., and the ODU football program will pay tribute to active duty and retired military members Saturday when the Monarchs take on UTEP at noon on Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Military Appreciation Day tribute includes a WWII plane flyover as well as a swearing in ceremony during pre-game activities.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Navy Reserve, that has served in every conflict since World War II. Several members of the U.S. Navy Reserve will show their support with a re-enlistment and swearing-in ceremony during pregame. The U.S. Navy Reserve provided 84 percent of the U.S. Navy’s manpower during WWII. Since then, more than 52,000 reservists have been mobilized and deployed to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
ODU fans will look to the skies when a B-25 bomber, provided by the Military Aviation Museum of Virginia Beach, flies over the stadium at the conclusion of the national anthem. B-25s served in every theater of WWII and operated for four decades following the war. The plane gained its first fame as the bomber used in the April 1942 Doolittle Raid, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Piloting the B-25 for Saturday’sflyover are Ray Fowler, a U.S. Air Force Major in the Alabama Air National Guard of Atlanta, GA., and John Ferguson, a corporate pilot from Washington, D.C.
Veterans’ Day activities for the game include a halftime military tribute performance by the ODU Marching Monarch band and a performance by the the ODU Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) choir during a time out.
More than 400 tickets have been distributed to military members through ODU’s Ticket for Troops program, presented by ADS, Inc., the a leading equipment, procurement and support solutions specialist to the military, law enforcement agencies, first responders and the defense industry. ADS Inc., will honor the USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia during the first timeout of the game with the presentation of an ODU game ball and a donation of $2,500 to the organization.
ADS, Inc., is participating with the ODU Tickets for Troops program for the second straight year. The program offers a limited number of tickets to each ODU football, basketball (men’s & women’s), men’s and women’s soccer, wrestling and baseball game free of charge to current and retired service members and their families. For more information on the Tickets for Troops program, go to www.odusports.com.
In addition to the Military Appreciation activities, ODU, WAVY TV 10 and ODU’s Women’s Initiative Network have partnered with the Coats for Families campaign for this game. Fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently used coat to the game and utilize the drop box locations on Kaufman Mall and the stadium entrances. Coats will be accepted between 10 am and the noonkickoff.
Tickets are available for the game by going to www.YNottix.com, or stopping by the box office at the Ted Constant Center from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
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