Posted on 01/05/2006 3:21:14 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2006 – A tribute program that provided free admission to Anheuser-Busch theme parks to more than 900,000 members of U.S. and coalition armed forces and their families has been extended through 2006, company officials announced. Anheuser-Busch launched "Here's to the Heroes" in February 2005 to acknowledge the service of military men and women and the sacrifices made by their families, officials said.
"It is gratifying to all of us at Anheuser-Busch that so many members of our armed forces took advantage of this program and honored us with a visit," said Keith M. Kasen, chairman and president of Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch. "This is a difficult time for our men and women in uniform, and we are honored to give them something back."
The program provides a single day's free admission to any one SeaWorld or Busch Gardens park, Sesame Place, Adventure Island or Water Country USA for the servicemember and as many as three of his or her direct dependents.
Any active duty, active reserve or Ready Reserve servicemember or National Guardsman is entitled to free admission under the program. He or she need only register, either online at www.herosalute.com or in the entrance plaza of a participating park, and show a Defense Department photo ID.
Also included in the offer are members of foreign military forces serving in the coalitions in Iraq or Afghanistan or in the United States attached to American units for training.
Inactive, standby and retired reserve members, military retirees, U.S. Merchant Marine and civilian DoD employees are ineligible for the program.
The program "is one small way we can acknowledge and thank the soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen whose service helps to preserve the freedom and safety of every American," Kasen said. "It's important to all of us at Anheuser-Busch that we show our gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces and their families for the sacrifices they make on our behalf."
Here's to the Heroes is the fourth tribute to military personnel offered by Anheuser-Busch since Yellow Ribbon Summer welcomed servicemembers home from the Gulf War in 1991. More than 3 million people have visited Anheuser- Busch Adventure Parks free under these programs.
The company has supported the military for more than 150 years, and in 2005 launched the Here's to the Heroes Tour, which allowed everyday Americans to record video messages of support and thanks for the men and women of the U.S. military. The Heroes Tour traveled more than 29,000 miles to towns and events across America from April through December, collecting messages from more than 11,000 Americans. With the help of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program, the messages were aired on American Forces Radio and Television Service on U.S. military bases in more than 177 countries and on 150 bases in the United States throughout 2005.
Three Anheuser-Busch parks -- SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld San Diego -- operate year-round. The company's remaining parks are seasonal, with varying opening dates this spring. Each park's operating schedule is available online.
The company's other U.S. theme parks are Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SeaWorld San Antonio, Discovery Cove in Orlando, Sesame Place near Philadelphia, Water Country USA in Williamsburg and Adventure Island in Tampa.
(From an Anheuser-Busch news release.)
Supporting the Troops by A-B.
And here I am proudly drinking a Bud Light as I post this.
Hey Sarge - FYI - I wonder if this would fit into your leave plans!!
Last I had heard, their upper managment were big libs.
I've heard things of that nature also, but their actions prove otherwise.
Who knows?
AFAIC, beer is like cars and women--better when foreign-made. =D
I have a problem. My favorite beer is made in the People's Republic of Oregon.
Beer and the military do not mix...I know, because that's what the military preaches nowadays....
I just had a guy watch my house while I was away. I asked him what kind of beer he wanted, and he said Bud Light. I asked him if I could just pee in a bottle for him, since it would be cheaper and taste the same. =)
Yes, I am a beer snob. I used to think that non-Americans used to rag on American beer as a tease, but then I started drinking outside the borders. They're right, it's much better stuff.
BTTT
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