Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Thibault | Soldiers from 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, wait in the lobby of...... read more read more
DENVER -- "I like and enjoy having military members visit with us. They think we are the heroes but we think they are, and we just try to keep pace. They put their lives on the line every day, and I try to show appreciation every time I get a chance."
Denver Broncos' wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders' comments came after Soldiers from 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and Colorado Airmen attended a live taping of the "Broncos Huddle" Salute to Service show in Denver, Nov. 12.
Staff Sgt. Edward W. McCune II, aircraft power train repairer, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th CAB, said he likes to watch football and this event seemed like an excellent opportunity to show the community a different side of the Army.
"The event benefited my fellow Soldiers and I by allowing us to see the appreciation the community has for us and what we do," said McCune.
"Someone as famous as Emmanuel Sanders looked us in the eyes and said, 'Thank you for what you do. I do not understand why people call me a hero, you guys are heroes.' It validates the long hard days we have when people take the time to say 'thank you.'"
Sanders said his love for the military began at an early age.
"Going into my senior year of high school, I did not have any scholarships to go to college," said Sanders. "I worked out with someone from the Army and was going to join the military to get out of the rough environment that I was in. Three months later, I started receiving scholarships … this shows where I could potentially be if I wasn't playing football."
McCune was given the opportunity to ask Sanders a question and received a special gift.
"It was an honor to receive the autographed gloves," said McCune. "It felt like Emmanuel Sanders' words to me were very genuine, and I felt he really appreciates the Soldiers."
He said it was a great opportunity and privilege to attend the taping of the show.
"I really enjoyed the opportunity we were granted to be (a) part of the show," said McCune. "I thought it was very entertaining and it was exciting to be part of the experience. Meeting Emmanuel Sanders and getting to talk with him was an honor I will never forget."
Air Force Master Sgt. Walter Christopherson, Colorado Air National Guard retention officer manager, said it was a great opportunity for his team to attend and is an awesome recruiting tool.
"This was really cool and [I] wish everyone in the military had an opportunity to attend this type of event," he said. "If we could promise everyone that re-enlisted these types of visits, this would [be] a great morale lifter and we could retain more military members. It's things like this that make a person's neck hair stand up and gives them that feeling that they are a part of something bigger."
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2014 11:11 |
| Story ID: | 148468 |
| Location: | DENVER, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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