Reds Roll Out Red Carpet for Last Event of Navy Week

NAVY newsstand ^ | Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Sheehan

[SandRat]

CINCINNATI (NNS) -- The Cincinnati Reds honored the service of past, present and future Sailors before the start of their major league baseball game against the New York Mets, ending Cincinnati’s first-ever Navy Week in grand fashion Sept. 3.

The pre-game festivities included a crowd-pleasing performance by Navy Band Great Lakes rock band “Horizon,” a parachute demonstration by the Navy Leap Frogs, an on-field enlistment of Delayed Entry Program Recruits (DEPers), the 25th reunion of the Reds-sponsored Navy Boot Camp Hall of Fame Company 233, an on-field presentation of a Bronze Star Medal, and finally the ceremonial first pitch thrown out by U.S. Joint Forces Command Chief of Staff and Cincinnati native, Rear Adm. Miles B. Wachendorf.

“The Reds were the first professional baseball team,” Wachendorf said. “So, there is a lot of tradition here. Just like the tradition that exists in the U.S. Navy.”

In August of 1982, the Reds sponsored 74 young men of the greater Cincinnati area by swearing them in on the field, coincidentally before a game against the Mets, on the day prior to their departure to Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes.

Twenty-five years later, 17 members of Company 233, including Recruit Company Commander Maynard Banks, manned the first base line during the pre-game ceremonies. The company also presented the Reds organization with their company flag, their Hall of Fame flag, and also returned the flag that the Reds had originally presented to them on the day of their enlistment.

“It’s been really fun to catch up with these guys,” said Ray Scroggy of Kettering, Ohio before the game. “I remember the last time we were all here and on the field, the Reds won by a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth.”

After Company 233 was recognized, Wachendorf swore in sixteen DEPers standing in formation behind home plate. The Navy’s newest Sailors received vocal appreciation from the crowd for carrying on the proud tradition of Company 233.

“It was really cool having an admiral swear us in,” said Laurie Jockers, 20, of Florence, Ky. “That made me feel important. It was also fun to see my face on the Jumbotron.”

After the National Anthem was performed, Wachendorf presented the Bronze Star to Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Burnside for actions performed as a civil affairs officer while on deployment in Iraq.

Burnside, with his family behind him, received the award while holding his daughter’s hand. The Reds’ fans showed their appreciation for the Burnside family’s service and sacrifice by giving them a standing ovation.

As the crowd continued their cheers, Wachendorf traded his uniform’s combination cover for a Cincinnati Reds ballcap, complete with flag officer’s laurel, and headed to the pitcher’s mound. With the enthusiasm of a having a dream come true, Wachendorf delivered an easy strike down the middle of the plate.

“Last night I was at a wonderful USO banquet,” Wachendorf said after the ceremony wrapped up. “I had the honor of sitting next to and meeting a very talented and charming young lady named Lauren Nelson, who happens to be ‘Miss America’. But, as a Cincinnati native, I have rooted for the Reds in every game they have ever played, and I will always root for them.

“So,” he said with a big smile, “this was better.”

[SandRat]

070903-N-7163S-001 CINCINNATI (Sept. 3, 2007) - U.S. Joint Forces Command Chief of Staff and Cincinnati native, Rear Adm. Ben Wachendorf, enlists 16 Delayed Entry Program Personnel of the Greater Cincinnati area, before the start of a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets. Navy Weeks show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy, and increase awareness of the Navy in cities that do not have a significant Navy presence. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Sheehan (RELEASED)