Veterans Day this next Wednesday, November 11 serves as a reminder of the close bonds between the military and our great sport.
Many of you recall as active players travelling on USO-NFL Goodwill Tours to remote parts of the world to entertain or simply talk football with our military men and women abroad.
“We have told our military leaders every chance we get,” says Alumni CEO Beasley Reece, “that our national Alumni office, Board of Directors, local Alumni chapters and members stand ready to work with our military heroes –past and present—in every way we can.”
For example, several of our Alumni members played in the sold-out inaugural Red White & Blue Celebrity Golf Classic late last month in New Jersey where a portion of the proceeds supported Athletes for Vets. This non-profit organization enables current and former professional athletes to advocate and raise scholarship funds for our servicemen and women and their families.
Earlier today (11/5), the Pat Tillman Foundation held its annual Tillman Honors Awards Ceremony to help raise funds for scholarships for military personnel and their spouses. The Foundation has given scholarships to 695 Scholars and invested more than $20 million to support these military veterans. NFL Alumni is proud of the work being done in the name of our late NFL brother Pat Tillman who died in Afghanistan in the service of our country in 2004.
All of us owe a deep debt of gratitude to our brave military members, including many of you and your family members, whose sacrifices allow us the freedom to play and enjoy our great sport.
More than 1,000 NFL personnel served during World War II while 225 NFL players fought for our country in the Korean War. During the Vietnam conflict, dozens of NFL alumni and active players served as active-duty soldiers and military reservists.
We at NFL Alumni thank all our military—past and present—for their service.
