The Seattle Seahawks have a strong commitment to supporting the nation’s armed forces.
The Seattle Seahawks have a strong commitment to supporting the nation’s armed forces.
The team recently hosted more than 100 sailors and Coast Guard members, who were able to trade their military training for football drills.
The defending Super Bowl champions and USAA welcomed them to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the team’s annual Salute to Service event. Service members from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and the U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District watched the Seahawks practice before taking part in an on-field combine and meeting players and coaches.
The service members tested their skills in several football drills, including the 40-yard dash, medicine ball toss and long throw. For some, though, simply getting the opportunity to watch practice was enough.
The Seattle Seahawks recently hosted more than 100 sailors and Coast Guard members, who traded their military training for football drills at the team’s annual Salute to Service event. (KOMO News)“I’m a lifelong Seahawks fan, so to be here at an event like this is truly incredible, and if I wasn’t in the Coast Guard, I’d probably never have an opportunity like this,” Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate First Class Trenton Campbell said.
The native Californian was asked to give his take on how the upcoming season might go, but he said he “didn’t want to jinx” his favorite team.
The event also marked a changing of the guard for the Seahawks’ honored military unit. The U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District passed the ceremonial “12 Flag” to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, which will serve as the team’s honored military unit for the upcoming season.
The annual Change of Command tradition rotates the recognition among branches of the military and is part of the Seahawks’ broader effort to support service members, veterans and military families throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The Seattle Seahawks recently hosted more than 100 sailors and Coast Guard members, who traded their military training for football drills at the team’s annual Salute to Service event. (KOMO News)Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke to the visiting service members and shared that the team’s appreciation extends well beyond the football field.
“We very much recognize that our freedoms and our ability to do the jobs that we do is because of y’all, and we don’t take that for granted,” Schneider said.
James DeLozier with USAA Military Affairs said the partnership gives the organization another opportunity to recognize service members while connecting them with a team that has a strong relationship with the military community.
The visiting service members were able to spend time with members of the Seahawks after practice. Head coach Mike Macdonald said having those brave men and women at practice also helps put the work his team does into perspective.
The Seattle Seahawks recently hosted more than 100 sailors and Coast Guard members, who traded their military training for football drills at the team’s annual Salute to Service event. (KOMO News)“We’re so thankful for our military men and women,” Macdonald said. “It’s an easy way for us to show part of our appreciation for what they do. I wish we could do more.”
The Seahawks say their military outreach continues throughout the year through events and programs designed to recognize and support active-duty service members, veterans and their families.
