Vets and Veterans day

[iced]

Hey Mr.Demoff,

First I want to say thank you for taking time to answer our questions. I really appreciate it; and I love being able to brag to my friends that Ram fans can directly communicate with someone from the front office.

I went to my first Rams game in 2010 right after I came back from Afghanistan. I tried to get a hold of several different people to see if by chance I could get like a Bradford/Jackson autograph, maybe even meet a few players (at the time I in particular wanted to meet Jason Brown, I remembered he had a brother who died in Iraq/Afghan). That was a different regime and different era, when Spagnuolo was the HC and according to the people I spoke with at the stadium, he was pretty air tight when it came to his team. So I was wondering if there was anything that you guys do for Active duty or Vets? I'm just curious because I have a fair amount friends and family that are/were in the military..

Another reason I ask is because I'm looking at possibly going to the Rams @ Colts on november 10th (a day before veteran's day), and generally the NFL usually does something every year. Well I was wondering what they were planning on doing this year or if there were some way to possibly be a part of it? I'm visiting a friend I served in Afghan with in Indiana and I think there's some interest there too. Also, what do you guys do for home games around that time?


Any feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks Mr.Demoff

 

[kdemoff]

Iced, thank you very much for your service and for being such a great Rams fan.

We have a number of initiatives to thank/honor our Rams fans who are serving or who have served. One of my favorite things we do as an organization is something we started last year, and that is taking a practice to Scott AFB. The night before our final preseason game, we do our pregame walkthrough at Scott AFB and the base selects airmen to be "players" on the scout team. The airmen get to run the plays of the opposing team against our offense, defense and special teams. Then there is an autograph signing and interaction with any airmen and families that come to watch practice on the base. Coach Fisher came up with the idea last year and it is truly a great event and a meaningful interaction for both our players and the airmen. Additionally, Coach Fisher is heavily involved in the Wounded Warriors project and he purchases tickets for the Wounded Warriors and their families to attend each Rams home game. A portion of the proceeds from his charity softball game in July go to the Wounded Warrior Project as wel.

On the Friday before our Salute to Service game, we partner with the USO and the National Guard to invite local servicemen and women and veterans to our practice. The past few years we have had roughly 200-250 military members attend practice at Rams Park on that Friday, followed by a meet and greet with the players and coaches.

The NFL's Salute to Service weekends in 2013 are Weeks 10 and 11, but since we play at Indianapolis during Week 10 and have a bye Week 11, our Salute to Service game at the Edward Jones Dome will be Week 12 against the Bears. However, since that is on the later end, we will have our annual Military Appreciation Game sponsored by Boeing the weekend before Veterans Day, when we host the Tennessee Titans Week 9. That will be the game that will be the cornerstone of our partnership with Boeing and the USO that focuses on bringing servicemen and women to join the Rams.

I hope that gives you some insight into our interaction with the military and veterans. We are grateful to have such a strong relationship with the local bases, USO, National Guard and Boeing and to have such great Rams fans throughout the military. In fact, one of my most prized Rams possessions is an American Flag that was carried on an air mission by the crew of Pirate 82 in the Middle East and sent to me by our fans.

KD

 

[iced]

Thanks Kevin. I probably should have mentioned that I'm living in Florida and i was wondering if/when I travel to a rams game , if there was a way to get involved in what you're mentioning. I was lookin at the colts game.and hopefully one home game