Photo By Kathleen Pettaway-Clarke | A video about CCAD’s mission was shown on the jumbo electronic screen... read more read more
CORPUS CHRISTI ARMY DEPOT, Texas— The Corpus Christi Hooks baseball club at Whataburger Field invited personnel from Corpus Christi Army Depot to participate in Armed Forces Day May 20.
The depot hit a homerun by hosting an informational table, where attendees could ask questions about the mission of CCAD and learn how to apply for jobs, as well as showing a video about CCAD’s mission on the jumbo electronic screen just prior to the game.
The Corpus Christi Hooks is a minor league baseball team and an AA affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Double A classification is the second-highest level of play in minor league baseball. That night, the Hooks played the Tulsa, Oklahoma Drillers.
Brady Ballard, general manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks, recently attended a Regional Economic Development Council meeting, and it resonated with him the need for more awareness of what is going on at the Corpus Christi Army Depot, both from a community and economic impact.
"I was able to strike up a conversation with Col. [Kyle] Hogan, [CCAD commander], and shared that Armed Forces Day was coming up on May 20, and invited CCAD to participate," Ballard said. "It just so happens that alignment was relevant here, and I am just excited to have CCAD out to interact with folks and educate them about the organization."
The depot employs about 3,000 people, with 41% of that population being military veterans.
The Hooks game allowed the directorate of human capital management to promote the depot as an employer with quality jobs and excellent benefits. The team representing the depot were Linda Callejo, Estella Muro, Joanna Vasquez, and Carla Withers, who engaged all ages of game-goers about using the QR code to search for job prospects.
Callejo, acting director of human capital management, said, "We're super excited, and many people stopped by our table. We have a QR code that will take you straight to our USAJobs.gov page where CCAD positions are posted. And here's some advice, always have a resume ready and be knowledgeable about the job you're applying for."
Whataburger Field has other military initiatives that show their support of the armed forces within South Texas and educate attendees of the sacrifices made.
A former Army veteran, season ticket holder, and No.1 Hooks fan has a memorialized permanent purple seat reserved only for purple heart recipients. It was named for John Joslin, a retired lieutenant colonel who served 27 years on active duty and was a decorated veteran — earning the Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Soldier's Medal and Bronze Star Medal. Joe Martinez, section 120 manager, who served as an Army specialist in the late-1960s and deployed to France, said, "Until John's health failed, he never missed a game and always sat in this seat."
Joslin served two combat tours in Vietnam throughout his career and was stationed abroad in Korea, Germany and Italy. He held numerous positions; most notably being assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army.
Whataburger Field, in partnership with the Port of Corpus Christi, assists with pre-deployment and post-deployment units by allowing military units to stage Apache and Black Hawk helicopters and other military equipment in their parking lot. This activity, also known in the U.S. Army as Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, and Integration is crucial to set conditions for successful because combat commanders can effectively leverage all available assets and enter the training exercise ready to fight and win. Since Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, more Army equipment has gone through the Port of Corpus Christi after the flooding at the Port of Beaumont.
The Drillers won against the Hooks 3-4.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2023 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 445680 |
| Location: | CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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