San Diego Padres Kick Off 2010 Campaign Honoring America's Military

In April the San Diego Padres kicked off their 2010 season at Petco Park in San Diego. Keeping with tradition as the "Team of the Military," Padres Director of Military Outreach and retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch hosted the team's annual Military Opening Night on Wednesday, April 14.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Tom Conant, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Padres recognized 20 military award recipients from San Diego-area commands on the field.

Local military children Jacob and Jeremiah Bruce called "play ball," accompanied by their mother, Aleah, only to be treated to a surprise message from their deployed father, Navy Chief Todd Bruce broadcast on the stadium's big screen.

Northrop-Grumman provided more than 5,000 tickets to the game for San Diego military men and women and their families, and the Padres hosted wounded warriors from nearby Balboa Naval Hospital.

The Padres also unveiled their new military logo, which will be featured on all Padres military outreach materials and new souvenirs throughout the 2010 season.

Throughout the 2010 season the Pacdres will offer discounted tickets to members of the military, retirees, Department of Defense civilians and dependents with valid DoD ID cards. The will also introduce the Padres Veterans' Appreciation Card, or PVAC, offering benefits and discounts to non-career veterans.

For more information on the Padres' military programs, Click Here.

(Images: Top: Naval Base San Diego's 50-state Flag Team lines the outfield of Petco Park, as the Edwards Air Force Base Honor Guard presents the colors on Military Opening Night. Photo by Shana Siler. Middle Left: Maj. Gen. Tom Conant waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Photo by Chris Handy. Middle Right: Jacob, Jeremiah, and Aleah Bruce look up at the stadium's big screen for the special greeting from Navy Chief Todd Bruce, who is serving overseas. Photos by Shana Siler. Bottom: San Diego Padres' military logo for 2010, based on the U.S. military aircraft roundel. All photos courtesy of the San Diego Padres.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will follow AMVETS' leaders around Washington discussing critical veterans' issues ranging from the VA claims backlog to VA's implementation of the uniform mental health services handbook.

On Friday, American Veteran will be on hand at Elkins Manor in Elkins Park, Pa., where AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin will unveil the new AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops alongside partner non-profit Freedom & Honor, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), and 77th Reserve Support Command Maj. Gen. William Terpeluk.

The Elkins Park workshop will be the first in a series set to take place at locations from coast to coast. To learn more about the new program, Click Here.

Also, the latest issue of American Veteran magazine has gone off to the printer and should be arriving in your mailboxes shortly. Later this week, we will preview the spring issue.

With the new issue downrange, American Veteran Online can resume our regular publishing schedule, catching up on all the happenings within the veterans' community over the last few weeks, including the recent open house at Camp Hope and the San Diego Padres ongoing support to the veterans' community.

This week, Washington, D.C., will also play host to the fourth annual G.I. Film Festival and AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for the event.

Finally, it's military appreciation week and we will look to bring you highlights of AMVETS' military appreciation activities from around the country, as they come in.

As always, we're eager to hear what you think. Please feel free to share your veterans' news and comments with the editorial staff of American Veteran.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will be wrapping up the spring print edition of American Veteran magazine. In the meantime, blog posts may continue to lag behind. We're still planning to bring you highlights of the AMVETS Riders' recent visit to Camp Hope for the wounded warrior retreat's open house. We will also highlight the San Diego Padres' 2010 military-support programs.

This week, AMVETS legislative team will also be out in force on Capitol Hill. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof continues to gather Congressional signatures in support of veterans' assistance dogs. Roof will also submit for the record this week on several key veterans' issues. This week, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs plans to tackle the health effects of the Vietnam War, VA's Vocational Rehab program, and Veterans Benefits Administration's work-credit program on claims-processing.

To view this week's hearings in the House, Click Here.

This week, the Senate will also discuss the invisible wounds of war--particularly traumatic brain injury--which AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin has made a top priority for 2010.

American Veteran will be following each of this week's key hearings closely. Check back regularly for updates.

Thank you to everyone who submitted content for the spring edition. If you have something you would like us to include in the summer issue of American Veteran magazine, it's never too early to start sending it in.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will follow the AMVETS Legislative Department to Capitol Hill, where Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof will testify before the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on veterans' small businesses.

Roof will also be on Capitol Hill throughout the week, continuing to muster support for wounded veterans' assistance dogs.

We will also continue to follow the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Care Act, which passed both the House and Senate last week and is awaiting Presidential approval. The new act establishes new benefits allowing veterans' families to care for their wounded loved ones and creates new programs to better serve female veterans and rural/remote-located veterans.

We will also post on the recent open house at Camp Hope hosted by William "Mike" White, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary 2010 Humanitarian of the Year. Camp Hope, the wounded warriors' outdoor retreat in Missouri, is the national project for the AMVETS Riders, who were on hand for the open house.

This week, we will also highlight this weekend's benefit run in honor of fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane in Cherry Hill, N.J., hosted by the Rutgers University student-veterans group, Veterans For Education. Veterans For Education was featured in the fall 2008 issue of American Veteran magazine, discussing veterans on campus. Kane was a student-veteran at Rutgers who was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

We will also highlight this year's military opening night for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego and the Padres' ongoing commitment to serving the military community.

We are also in the process of laying out the spring issue of American Veteran magazine. Be on the look-out for the new issue in mid May.

Magazine Update: San Diego Padres, "Team of the Military," open 2009 campaign

The spring 2008 issue of "American Veteran" highlighted Cooper Brannan, a young Marine pitching in the San Diego Padres organization.

Cooper just entered his third year with the team, continuing an improbable foray into professional baseball. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres organization has marched into the 2009 campaign upholding their reputation as the "Team of the Military" in one of the nation's largest military towns.

The Padres' season of military support kicked off on Wednesday night with Military Opening Night, when the Padres took on division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers at PETCO Park. Padres prospect Walter Silva made his major league debut as part of the Padres' tradition, donning the team's desert camouflage jersey. To view the MLB.com gallery from the game, Click Here.

Prior to the game, the Padres honored local military personnel while Vice Adm. Sam Locklear, commander U.S. Third Fleet, and Senior Chief Petty Officer John Kelley, Third Fleet staff, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Throughout the season, the Padres will continue to demonstrate their support to the military through a variety of community outreach programs, orchestrated by the team's Military Affairs director, retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch.

Since 1995, Ensch has made it his personal mission to ensure that the Padres embrace the San Diego military community, offering unparalleled access and support to all who wear the uniform in Southern California. Ensch, a Vietnam veteran and former P.O.W., understands why it is important for the public to support those who serve.

In addition to regular ticket discounts and the special refund program for deployed personnel, the Padres will continue to offer on-field reenlistment ceremonies and military group outings.

In 2009, the Padres will introduce the Host Our Heroes Program, where companies and individuals can show their appreciation to the military community by hosting service members and their families for Padres home games.

The Padres cornerstone military program, Marine Recruit Sundays, will return for 13 Sundays in the regular season. During Sunday home games, the Padres will wear their camouflage uniforms and host the graduating class from San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot. In 2001, AMVETS National Communications Director Jay Agg was one of the Marine recruits honored by the Padres.

Aside from this array of in-stadium programs for the military community, the Padres will continue to work extensively with the military units and installations around San Diego. In the past, the Padres have worked closely with U.S. Third Fleet to ensure that sailors could watch games while underway. The team has also arranged player visits to military medical facilities, appearances at military events around the community, and visible contributions to San Diego Fleet Week.

As the season rolls on, check in regularly with American Veteran online to see how the Padres and Capt. Ensch continue to demonstrate their support to those who have served.

To view the Padres' official military programs Web page, Click Here.

(Photos: San Diego Padres Military Opening Night at PETCO Park. Photos courtesy of the San Diego Padres.)