ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Two American icons--baseball and the Army--teamed up to honor the nation's military Aug. 25 at Aberdeen's Ripken Stadium.
Soldiers from Aberdeen Proving Ground joined the Aberdeen Ironbirds and their fans for Military Appreciation Night. The Victory Belles vocal trio sang World War II-era classics; three Soldiers threw out honorary first pitches; and children enjoyed an up-close look at four Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles, commonly known as MRAPs, outside the stadium.
APG Garrison Commander Col. Orlando Ortiz and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Halpin, with members of the Army recruiting station in Bel Air, presented 11 Army recruits with their dog tags.
Senior APG Commander Maj. Gen. Nick Justice thanked the community for its support during a taped video message to the fans.
"There are tremendous lessons we take away from tonight. These players got to where they are because they honed their personal skills," Justice said. "It takes teamwork and cooperation to get the job done.
"Those are skills that directly translate to us in our daily lives at APG. We have to be great at our individual skills, and we have to be great teams that lead the development of the tools that our Army needs in the field."
Staff Sgt. Larry Jones, from the 22nd Chemical Battalion, sang an emotionally charged "Star-Spangled Banner" to conclude the pre-game ceremonies as a color guard from the 20th Support Command (CBRNE) presented the national and Army banners.
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