January 28, 2005

Jacksonville Remembers Heroes During Super Bowl Week:
Honors Military Members Injured in the War on Terror

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., January 28, 2005 – In a ceremony at the Veterans Wall near Alltel Stadium during Super Bowl Week, the City of Jacksonville will honor three military members injured in the war on terror.  Mayor John Peyton will present Marine Corporal James Eddie Wright, Army Specialist Danielle Green and Navy Corpsman Jose Ramos with keys to the city on Thursday, February 3 at 11:30 a.m.  The ceremony is the result of a joint effort with Impact Player Partners, a program in which athletes, entertainers and community leaders work together to improve the quality of life of America’s heroes wounded in the war on terror.

  "Jacksonville is a great military community," said Mayor Peyton, "and we deeply respect the sacrifices of the men and women serving in our nation's armed forces.  It is fitting that we salute these brave individuals and recognize the service and sacrifice of all our military men and women serving abroad.  It’s a reminder that while we are enjoying the benefits of freedom and safety during Super Bowl week, many American patriots are engaged in the defense of our liberty."   

The three service members honored at the ceremony all sustained serious injuries in the line of duty.  Corporal Wright fought for 35 minutes after sustaining life-threatening injuries that resulted in the loss of both his hands.  Declared clinically dead three times during treatment, he received 38 pints of blood.   Specialist Green, a former Notre Dame basketball player, lost her left hand when hit with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) on top of an Iraqi police station.  In a show of support, her unit went back and searched through the rubble to retrieve her wedding ring from her severed hand.  Corpsman Ramos was a medic helping the Marines in the field when he was struck by an RPG.  He lost his left hand, but completed the New York marathon only four months after sustaining his injuries. He is running the marathon again next year to raise money for military families.

“Perspective is an important tenet in America today - especially during Super Bowl week,” said Dick Lynch & Christian Okoye (former All-Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs), co-founders of the organization. “With this ceremony, the leadership of Jacksonville will show all Americans, especially our military heroes serving abroad, that while they are getting shot at and facing death every day they are front and center on the minds of everyone – especially during Super Bowl week.”

Impact Player Partners, www.impactplayer.org, has the support of numerous impact players in society including Arnold Palmer, George Strait, Jeff Gordon, Dom Capers, Jim McMahon, Dan Haggerty, Jim Marshall, Mike Shanahan, Junior Seau, Clark Gaines, Darryl Grant, Tony Siragusa, Gene Upshaw, Pat Grant, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek, Darryl Grant, LaVar Arrington, Houston Texans, National Western Stock Show, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, University of Cincinnati Men’s basketball, New York Yankees, Washington Redskins and many more.