2009 "Husker Salute to the Troops" This Coming Weekend

 A "Salute to the Troops" event will be held in Lincoln this coming weekend. The weekend event begins on Saturday with a tour of athletic facilities and Memorial Stadium culminating with a "Tunnel Walk" as the troops and their families walk to the fifty-yard line. After the tours the group will assemble at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel for a Virginia Tech-Nebraska TV game watch party. On Sunday morning a brunch will conclude the weekend activities with an appearance by Nebraska Heisman trophy winner Eric Crouch.

Registered for the event are: 

281 total guests, including 
95 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members. 
18 are Air Force
57 are Army
1 is Coast Guard
6 are Navy
3 are US Marine Corps
 
8 Received Husker Dan's Army Care Packages
3 are Purple Heart recipients
17 deployed to Afghanistan
30 deployed to Iraq
10 deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq
20 deployed to Desert Storm/ Desert Shield
9 are Vietnam veterans
2 are WWII veterans

Husker fans Dan McGlynn, Gary McGirr, Jon and Lain Harvey, and Kelly Notarfrancesco have volunteered hours of their time to put together the event to salute Nebraskans serving in the military. 

The "Salute to the Troops" event is an extension of Husker Dan's Army. Husker Dan's Army was established to help the moral of Nebraska men and women in our armed forces who are serving in the Middle East. Since its inception, with the help of the Northeast Kansans for Nebraska (a Nebraska alumni chapter in Topeka, Kansas), the Red Zone in Omaha and the generosity of Husker fan, the organization has helped in a small way thanking these brave men and women for serving their country. 

Donations are taken by the Topeka alumni group and sent to the Red Zone. Red Zone matches the donations dollar for dollar and then ship Husker care packages filled with Husker items such as T-shirts, caps, posters, flags, media guides etc. to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition HuskerVision sends Husker game day DVDs to those service men and women who sign up with Husker Dan's Army.   

Since the average Specialist in the Army makes $1984 (pre taxes) a month and the average soldier will be deployed 12 month over a three-year commitment these individuals felt troop support from home was critical to their morale and overall satisfaction with doing what they do. This weekend will provide a unique opportunity for the Troops to come home to Lincoln and spend a dream weekend around something that we are all proud of and they miss out on when they are deployed - Nebraska football.

This event couldn't take place without the support of major sponsors, including the following: David Fiala of Futures One has sponsored the hotel rooms for each service member at the Cornhusker Marriot. Adopt-a-Platoon is the watch party sponsor. Additionally, various UNL Alumni Association chapters, Ameritas Life Insurance, Skeeter Barnes, LINpepsico, Kincaid Coach Lines, Double Eagle Beverage, Runza, Huskerpedia, Red Zone, HuskerVision, the UNL Athletic Department, Lincoln Tourism and many individual Husker fans across the state and nation have pitched in to make this event happen.

Individual donors are also assisting in defraying the costs associated with the event. Tax deductable donations can be sent to the following address, or given online at the Huskers Salute web site. 

Husker Fans Salute to the Troops
3405 SW Atwood Avenue
Topeka, KS 66614-3561

For More Information: http://www.huskersalute.org