BASES, STATIONS & VETERANS
We—the Marines
Edited by Col Walt Ford, USMC (Ret)
Marines Thrill Hockey Fans
With Center-Ice Pull-Up Challenge
■ The Marines took center stage—or
center ice—during the Chicago Wolves
Armed Forces Night on March 29 at Chicago’s Allstate Arena.
To date, Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago has generated 126 positive
responses from its recruiting efforts at
Wolves games, 24 of which came from
the Armed Forces Night alone.
“A lot of Wolves fans are potential
Marines, and with the Marines’ presence,
it’s just a natural fit,” said Ryan McDonald, a Chicago Wolves sponsorship sales
executive. “Every single time the Marines
are here, there’s that large crowd that hovers around the pull-up bar. The Marines do
such an incredible job of marketing that,
and the response has been pretty incredible.
“Armed Forces Night was a way to
show our appreciation for everything the
military does,” added McDonald.
The two-time American Hockey League
Turner Cup champions’ military-themed
evening included a ceremonial puck drop
by Major Lance A. Jackola, commanding
officer of RS Chicago, who made his way
onto the ice in his blue dress “A” uniform
for the ceremonial puck drop between the
team captains of the Chicago Wolves and
Houston Aeros.
During the second intermission, three
leathernecks from Chicago went to center
ice with one of the famous Marine Corps
red pull-up bars: Gunnery Sergeant Brian
P. Deiters, a canvassing recruiter from
Recruiting Substation Chicago Heights;
Sergeant Joshua A. Ritch, a canvassing
recruiter with RSS Mount Prospect; and
Corporal William Henton with 2d Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. The three
Marines put on a show of strength and
endurance as they competed against each
other in a pull-up competition.
Although other branches of the military were represented at Armed Forces
Night, “Oorah” and “Semper Fi, Marine”
were often heard throughout the Allstate
Arena concourse and around the Marine
recruiting booth.
The relationship between the Marines
and Chicago Wolves has strengthened
throughout the 2007-08 season. The Wolves
COURTES Y OF CHICAGO WOLVES
GySgt Brian P. Deiters, a recruiter at Chicago Heights, Ill., performs 25 dead-hang pull-ups on the ice at the Chicago Wolves’ Allstate Arena in Chicago to win a
Marine Corps pull-up competition during Armed Forces Night on March 29.
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