Soldiers cheer MSU Mustangs to victory on Military Appreciation Day

By Nathaniel Foster, 75th Fires BrigadeNovember 9, 2011

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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Mark P. Krieger, Jr., commander of 1-17th Field Artillery Regiment of Fort Sill, Okla., shakes hands with the team captains as he took part in the coin toss to start the Nov. 5 college football game between West Texas A&M and Midwestern Stat... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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Fort Sill, Okla.--Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 75th Fires Brigade participated in and were honored during Military Appreciation Day when 5th-ranked Midwestern State University's football team faced off against 20th-ranked West Texas A&M University at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas Nov. 5.

Prior to the start of the game, the Soldiers moved to midfield for pregame game activities and the official coin toss. Lt. Col. Mark P. Krieger, Jr., battalion commander, participated in the coin toss along with local Air Force leaders, Col. Dieter Bareihs, 80th Flying Training Wing commander, and Col. Om Prakash, 82nd Training Wing vice commander. Attendees were treated to a flyby by two T-6 Texans II from the 80th Flying Training before the start of the game.

Other activities that day included an outstanding halftime show which featured songs representing the military service by the MSU marching band. Additionally, the Soldiers were honored to take the field during halftime to present the U.S. and Oklahoma state flags in addition to their battalion colors.

The MSU Mustangs made it a perfect afternoon by claiming a 35-21 victory over the visiting West Texas A&M Buffalos.