thedrifter
10-11-07, 06:57 AM
- Static displays of military equipment and camouflage-clad personnel set the scene for Military Appreciation Day, hosted by the Marine Corps outside East Carolina University’s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Oct. 6.
A purple-and-gold sea of Pirate fans came out for the military events and the regular-season football game: ECU versus the University of Central Florida. The crowd of 42,777 set the record for the largest attendance in ECU history.
Several units from 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, were on hand in the afternoon to show spectators Humvees, seven-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement trucks, the new Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, Light Armored Vehicles, a new M777 medium towed howitzer and many small arms Marines use in combat.
Master Sgt. James Cuneo, operations chief, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF, summed up the event as benefiting both civilians and Marines.
“Basically, the civilians who are putting on the military appreciation part are getting to see some of the equipment we use every day in a combat environment,” Cuneo said. “The local community gets a chance to say thanks for some of the things Marines do, while we get a chance to intermingle with the college football game atmosphere.”
The pre-game events included the ECU band playing the Star-Spangled Banner, a flyover by three F/A-18 Hornets from Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and the coin toss assisted by Capt. Ray Baronie, executive officer of Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
During halftime, several commanders and sergeants major, including the commanding general and sergeant major of II MEF, marched to the middle of the field, escorted by ECU chancellor Steve Ballard and athletic director Terry Holland. Each of the leaders received the chancellor’s coin and were recognized with a round of applause from the crowd.
Janelle Huff, an ECU sophomore who visited the static displays before the game, said it’s not every day she sees the military equipment and troops in Greenville, and she described the opportunity to interact with the Marines.
“We just got to talk to (Marines) and put a face to what’s going on (in Iraq),” Huff said. “It’s really amazing because you’re not creating your own image of the things they’re dealing with.”
Huff got a hands-on lesson about vehicles and combat equipment while she listened to Marines’ stories about past deployments.
“I just think it’s awesome to be able to appreciate them because I don’t think we do that enough while they’re over there fighting,” Huff said. “So it’s just great to be able to shake someone’s hand and say, ‘I’m glad you’re here, and I’m glad you’re over there for us to have our freedom.’”
A purple-and-gold sea of Pirate fans came out for the military events and the regular-season football game: ECU versus the University of Central Florida. The crowd of 42,777 set the record for the largest attendance in ECU history.
Several units from 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, were on hand in the afternoon to show spectators Humvees, seven-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement trucks, the new Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, Light Armored Vehicles, a new M777 medium towed howitzer and many small arms Marines use in combat.
Master Sgt. James Cuneo, operations chief, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF, summed up the event as benefiting both civilians and Marines.
“Basically, the civilians who are putting on the military appreciation part are getting to see some of the equipment we use every day in a combat environment,” Cuneo said. “The local community gets a chance to say thanks for some of the things Marines do, while we get a chance to intermingle with the college football game atmosphere.”
The pre-game events included the ECU band playing the Star-Spangled Banner, a flyover by three F/A-18 Hornets from Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and the coin toss assisted by Capt. Ray Baronie, executive officer of Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
During halftime, several commanders and sergeants major, including the commanding general and sergeant major of II MEF, marched to the middle of the field, escorted by ECU chancellor Steve Ballard and athletic director Terry Holland. Each of the leaders received the chancellor’s coin and were recognized with a round of applause from the crowd.
Janelle Huff, an ECU sophomore who visited the static displays before the game, said it’s not every day she sees the military equipment and troops in Greenville, and she described the opportunity to interact with the Marines.
“We just got to talk to (Marines) and put a face to what’s going on (in Iraq),” Huff said. “It’s really amazing because you’re not creating your own image of the things they’re dealing with.”
Huff got a hands-on lesson about vehicles and combat equipment while she listened to Marines’ stories about past deployments.
“I just think it’s awesome to be able to appreciate them because I don’t think we do that enough while they’re over there fighting,” Huff said. “So it’s just great to be able to shake someone’s hand and say, ‘I’m glad you’re here, and I’m glad you’re over there for us to have our freedom.’”