ELMONT, New York – Four pararescuemen from the 106th Rescue Wing rappelled from the rafters of UBS Arena to drop the puck and kick-off the New York Islanders Military Appreciation game against the Arizona Coyotes on November 10th.
Senior Master Sgt. Sam Prescott, Master Sgt. Jordan St. Clair, Technical Sgt. Eric Cooley and Senior Airman Matt Pluhowski, made up the team that rappelled from the rafters during the National Anthem.
Once the four were on the ground, they walked along the blue carpet and met center ice as Prescott dropped the puck between Islanders captain Anders Lee and Coyotes forward Christian Fischer to the sound of roaring fans.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to rappel from the rafters for this game,” said Pluhowski. “We have the thank the Islanders for the opportunity and for all their support. It’s an amazing event.”
More than 500 tickets to the game were distributed to military members and their families as gratitude and appreciation for their service.
At the game, each seat contained an “I Salute” placard where fans could show support for veterans and hold them up during the game.
“Veteran’s Day is one of the most important days of the year,” said Ann Rina, Community Director for the New York Islanders.
“A night like tonight is about saying thank you. It’s all about thanking these brave men and women who are oversees protecting our freedom, and being able to offer them an opportunity to come to an Islanders game and enjoy themselves for a night just means the world to us, she explained.
The 106th Rescue Wing, based in F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft, and the HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.
Date Taken: | 11.10.2022 |
Date Posted: | 12.14.2022 08:50 |
Story ID: | 435149 |
Location: | ELMONT, NEW YORK, US |
Web Views: | 47 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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