RENTON, Wash. – The Seattle Seahawks announced gameday activities for the team's annual "Salute to Service game presented by USAA," held on November 15 versus the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and all gates open at 2:30 p.m. USAA is the Official Military Appreciation Sponsor of the NFL and Seahawks.
Volunteers from Treehouse will be distributing the Seahawks Gameday Magazine for $5 as part of the Spirit of 12 Partners program. All proceeds raised will be matched 100% by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Petty Officer Darren Harrity, U.S. Coast Guard, will participate in the Seahawks team run-out by carrying the U.S. Flag. Petty Officer Harrity responded to a mayday call from a commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Oregon this past summer. Spotting the four survivors in a life raft, Officer Harrity was deployed to the water using the helicopters hoist. Due to extreme downdrafts, the crew notified Petty Officer Harrity that he would have to swim each survivor to shore. Fighting five foot waves and 48 degree water, he swam each of the survivors 250 yards to shore. He made this round trip swim four times and swam more than 1¼ miles, saving the lives of all four fishermen.
The Seahawks hosted Congressional Gold Medal recipient Corporal Clayton Pitre at Wednesdays practice. He will raise the 12 Flag before kickoff of Sunday's USAA Salute to Service game.
Corporal Clayton Pitre, U.S. Marines, will raise the 12 Flag prior to kickoff. He was one of the first African-Americans allowed to join the U.S. Marines in World War II and trained at the segregated Montford Point Base in North Carolina. As a member of Platoon 126, he participated in the 82-day Okinawa siege, the last major battle in the Pacific. In 2012, members of the Montford Point Marines were recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal. The 91 year-old Pitre has lived in Seattle for more than 60 years and is a long-time Seahawks fan.
Yakima native, Technical Sergeant Alfredo (Freddie) Garza Jr., will perform the national anthem. TSGT Garza Jr. joined the Air Force in February of 2002. He is currently a member of the 446th Security Forces Squadron, Air Force Reserve, and was deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq in 2010, where he earned an Air Force Commendation Medal.
The team, in conjunction with USAA, will host more than 200 local service members on the field during the national anthem. Many Seahawks suite owners will host more than 100 service members to watch the game.
The Joint Honor Guard is comprised of military service member's representing all branches of the armed services. Along with the national flag, this joint-service color guard carries the flags for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
As part of "USAA's Why We Salute" program, the team will wear stickers on their helmets in honor of all five military branches. Visit USAA Salute to Service page to see our featured player. A special USAA Challenge Coin will be used for the coin toss.
The halftime show of the USAA Salute to Service game against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field will recognize these eight veterans of the United States Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice.
During halftime, the team will recognize local veterans and representatives from the Puget Sound Honor Flight (PSHF), during an on-field presentation. PSHF transports WWII veterans from Western Washington to Washington D.C. for an opportunity to visit and reflect at national memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices. The inaugural flight took place in the fall of 2013. As of today, more than 400 local veterans and their guardians have participated in 10 flights with more than 100 veterans still on a wait list.
American Family Insurance Touchdown City, located in the CenturyLink Field Event Center, is free and opens at 2:30 p.m. Seahawks Legend and honorary co-captain Deon Grant will be signing autographs from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the American Family Insurance Legends Experience. The Washington National Guard rock band Full Metal Racket will perform on the main stage from 3:20-3:50 p.m. and from 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Also in Touchdown City for this game, USAA will also provide a special Salute to Service military-inspired gift to the first 500 military members to show their military ID, American Red Cross will have a booth for fans to sign holiday cards for servicemen and women overseas through the Holiday Mail for Heroes program and fans will be able to sign oversize cards for Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette.
Additional activities include the following:
- Interactive games and contests
- Photo opportunities
- Airbrush tattoos and hair painting
- Performances by Sea Gals and Blue Thunder
- Sea Gals autograph booth
- Appearances by Blitz and BOOM, Seahawks mascots
- Opportunity to take images with Taima, team's augur hawk
- The Pro Shop kiosks
- 710 ESPN featuring live reports and pregame analysis
- Season long food and beverage specials including $5 beers and $3 hot dogs
The team's #12sCam will stream live video of fans from Touchdown City. The #12sCam captures the mood and excitement of gameday and provides a platform for fans to share messages, cheers and shout-outs to players, coaches, family and friends. The live video feed will be streamed on Seahawks.com from 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The Bullseye Brass Band from Joint Base Lewis-McChord will perform on the outdoor stage located at the northwest entrance to the stadium from 3:45-4:15 p.m. and from 4:25-4:55 p.m. The Michelle Taylor Band will perform blues music in the Brougham Beer Hall from 3:45-4:45 p.m.
The team's retail locations will offer variety "Salute to Service" merchandise throughout the month with a pledge to donate 10% of the sales to USO Northwest. Fans will also be able to make a donation at all registers during check-out.
The gameday hashtag is #AZvsSEA. Fans are encouraged to check-in to CenturyLink Field on Facebook and tweet their gameday photos to @12s, an account curated by the Seahawks, using the hashtag #GoHawks, #SeahawksSalute and #SaluteToService. For stadium and traffic updates, follow and direct questions to @CenturyLink_Fld utilizing the hashtag #AskCLF. The customer service staff at The Pro Shop is also ready to address retail related gameday questions at @SeahawksProShop.
For more information on Seahawks gameday visit Seahawks.com/gameday.
The Seahawks "Salute to Service game, presented by USAA", is part of the National Football League and NFL Players Association annual Salute to Service campaign. Visit NFL.com/salute for more information.
About USAA
The USAA family of companies provides insurance, banking, investments, retirement products and advice to 11.1 million current and former members of the U.S. military and their families. Known for its legendary commitment to its members, USAA is consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being and financial strength. USAA membership is open to all who are serving our nation in the U.S. military or have received a discharge type of Honorable – and their eligible family members. Founded in 1922, USAA is headquartered in San Antonio. For more information about USAA, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.
About Puget Sound Honor Flight
Puget Sound Honor Flight is a 501c3 non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. To date the Honor Flight Network, with over 140 hubs nationwide, has transported over 150,000 to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill. This trip is free to veterans, and made possible solely through individual donations and corporate support – no federal funds are allocated to this program. Visit http://pugetsoundhonorflight.org/ for more information.
About USO Northwest
USO Northwest's mission is to lift the spirits of America's troops and their families throughout the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. With the help of more than 300 volunteers, USO Northwest serves over 600,000 military and their families annually. USO Northwest provides support to those who need it the most including military deploying overseas and returning home, military families, wounded warriors and their families and families of the fallen. For more information visit http://usonw.org.
