WASHINGTON,
March
2010 – The
Washington
Capitals
showed their
support for
America’s
armed forces
with their
seventh annual
“Salute to
the
Military”
appreciation
night event
held yesterday
at the Verizon
Center here.
|
Assistant
Secretary
of
Defense
for
Public
Affairs
Douglas
B.
Wilson,
second
from
left,
Army
Vice
Chief
of
Staff
Gen.
Peter
W.
Chiarelli,
fourth
from
left,
and
other
senior
officials
and
honored
servicemembers
pose
with
Capitals
owners
Ted
Leonsis,
center
left,
and
Raul
Fernandez,
center
right,
for
a
photo
during
military
appreciation
night
at
the
Verizon
Center
in
Washington,
D.C.,
March
4,
2010.
DoD
photo
by
U.S.
Navy
Petty
Officer
2nd
Class
William
Selby
(Click
photo
for
screen-resolution
image);high-resolution
image
available.
|
|
While the
Capitals
gained a 5–3
victory over
the visiting
Tampa Bay
Lightning,
more than 800
service
members and
their families
enjoyed the
game courtesy
of tickets the
Capitals
provided free
through local
military
Morale,
Welfare and
Recreation
offices.
Assistant
Secretary of
Defense for
Public Affairs
Douglas B.
Wilson and
Army Vice
Chief of Staff
Gen. Peter W.
Chiarelli
stressed the
importance of
garnering
civilian
support for
the military
and their
families
during a
pre-game
reception
honoring the
military.
“Less than
one percent of
Americans have
served in
Operation
Iraqi Freedom
and Operation
Enduring
Freedom,”
Wilson said.
“All
Americans need
to understand
who they are,
and that we
are all in
this together.
Military
families, the
men and women
who support
our troops are
an important
part of this
country, and
we need to
give back. Ted
Leonsis and
the Washington
Capitals
epitomize that
message, and
we thank
you.”
“Not only
does this
event salute
the troops,
but we’re
also saluting
the military
families,”
Chiarelli
said. “The
families are
absolutely
critical to
our troops,
and the
support of the
American
people goes a
long way.”
The Washington
Capitals
professional
ice hockey
team is part
of the
National
Hockey League.
Alexander
Ovechkin, the
team’s star
left wing,
played on the
national
hockey team
for his native
Russia during
the recently
concluded
Winter
Olympics in
Canada.
Capitals owner
Ted Leonsis
praised the
men and women
of the U.S.
military.
“This is
such a small,
minuscule
payback for
everything
that our men
and women in
the services
do for us,”
Leonsis said.
“The
sacrifices our
men and women
do for us make
it possible
for us to live
the life we
are accustomed
to as
citizens.
It’s a great
honor for us
to be able to
give something
back for
everything the
military does
for us.”
The Capitals
honored the
troops with
special
performances
and aired
military
“shout-outs”
throughout the
game. They
also donated
several
viewing suites
for use by
Wounded
Warriors from
Walter Reed
Army Medical
Center.
“A lot of us
are still
going through
surgeries and
we’ve got
many more
ahead of
us,” said
Wounded
Warrior Marine
Lt. Col. Keith
Schuring.
“This gives
us a night
where we can
relax and be
with our
fellow
warriors and
just enjoy
ourselves.”
Service
members
attending the
event
expressed
appreciation
for the
Capitals.
“Tonight has
been great,”
Army Master
Sgt. Andrew
Berger said.
“Since
we’ve been
here they’ve
really taken
care of us.
The Washington
Capitals are
awesome.
It’s great
to be here to
show our
support to
them as
they’ve
shown their
support for
us.”
(Navy Petty
Officer 2nd
Class Elliott
Fabrizio is
assigned with
the Pentagon
Channel.)
