The Dodgers have announced that they will host Military Appreciation Night on Tuesday, May 24 (7:10 p.m. vs. Cincinnati). Active and retired military members and their families and supporters of our troops are invited to purchase a special ticket package. It includes a ticket to the game and a Military Appreciation Night T-shirt with packages starting at $15 and available by visiting www.dodgers.com/armedforces.

As part of Military Appreciation Night, the Dodgers will recognize deployed military personnel by showing a video on DodgerVision from U.S. Army soldiers with Bravo Company 640th Aviation Safety Battalion of Los Alamitos who are currently stationed in Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The Dodgers will also host a joint enlistment ceremony for incoming U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy servicemen and women.

Active and retired military personnel presenting our Nation’s colors on Opening Day. 
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Levy Restaurants will offer the Freedom Dog at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. The Freedom Dog features a quarter-pound, all-beef hot dog topped with ketchup, creamy horseradish and purple shoestring potatoes. U.S. Army Specialist Maurice Alpharicio will perform the national anthem. Alpharicio joined the Army specializing in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defense and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus.

The Dodgers will play host to the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work, which recently launched a new scholarship effort for veterans. Salute4Vets scholarships provide education at no cost to veterans who pursue a master of social work with a military social work option, helping returning service members and their families cope with challenges they face when transitioning back to civilian life. The Salute4Vets campaign seeks to raise $2.6 million to provide 120 scholarships for veterans. Currently, the school has 1,176 military social work graduates who have helped approximately 235,000 veterans and serve 100,000 veterans annually. More than 10,000 trained social workers are needed to assist the estimated 2.6 million service members who have deployed since September 11. Donations of any amount to support the Salute4Vets campaign can be made online at www.salute4vets.org. More than 30 veterans from the program will wear their caps and gowns for a special on-field acknowledgement Tuesday.

Military Appreciation Night tickets will include this commemorative T-shirt.
(Image courtesy of LA Dodgers)

The Dodgers pay tribute to military members every home game. Tuesday’s Military Hero of the Game is U.S. Army Sergeant Combat Medic José G. Ramos of Whittier. Ramos served as a combat medic from 1965 to 1968, including in Vietnam in 1967. In 2000, Ramos launched the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day (WHVVD) campaign, which included leading a team of people riding bicycles from Whittier to Washington, DC, asking citizens and lawmakers along the way to honor all Vietnam veterans with a day of recognition. In February 2002, Whittier became the first city in the country to program March 30 as WHVVD. In June and November 2006, the U.S. Congress and Senate unanimously passed the first national resolution proclaiming March 30 as WHVVD, and in September 2009, California became the first state to proclaim March 30 as WHVVD. Ramos will throw Tuesday’s ceremonial first pitch.

The Dodgers offer military discounts including $5 off loge MVP seats, $5 off reserve MVP seats and $5 off right-field pavilion seats. Tickets are available on the day of game, are subject to availability and can be purchased at any ticket booth two hours prior to game time until 60 minutes after the first pitch with proper military identification and valid for up to four tickets per ID. Additional discounts are available to military personnel for stadium tours. This discount is not valid for the Military Appreciation Night ticket package. Complete details can be found by visiting www.dodgers.com/military.

For a complete list of special events and theme games, please visit www.dodgers.com/events. For more information on purchases of 30 tickets or more please email grouptix@ladodgers.com.

(Article courtesy of Dodgers PR Department)