NORWICH – The Connecticut Tigers honored nine veterans at the Dodd Stadium for “Military Appreciation Night.” They nominate a different group every year.
“I just like helping people,” said William Herr of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Herr was one of nine that were recognized on the field for their service. He is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard in New Haven and he has been serving for 20 years.
“Everybody that always comes up and says ‘thank you for your service,’ it really makes it worthwhile to serve and for everybody that says ‘thank you for your service,’ I just say ‘thank you for your support,’” added Herr.
Crowds filled the seats of the stadium as they got ready to watch the Connecticut Tigers take on the Batavia Muckdogs and to show support for the veterans serving for the country.
Each year, the Tigers team up with the Better Business Bureau in selecting the nine nominees. This is part of their 2017 Connecticut Military All-Stars team.
“It represents several generations and eventually, some of those generations won’t be around to tell their stories anymore,” said Howard Schwartz of the Connecticut Business Bureau.
Another nominee was Ingrid Rosado who was born and raised in Willimantic. She has been serving in the U.S. Navy for 16 years and she said, each day, she finds inspiration in what she does.
“It’s an honor. I’m in shock because you know, I do this because I love to do it. I don’t do it because I want to be rewarded,” said Rosado.
Rosado said her nomination came as a surprise. In fact, she said she did not even know until her husband congratulated her out of the blue.
“Normally when people say ‘thank you for your support,’ I don’t know how to respond to that,” added Rosado.
The first 1,000 fans received a deck of baseball cards with the nominees on the front and a description of their service in the back.
“I think it’s an honor and privilege to serve and it’s an honor and privilege that the people of this great country are able to thank us for what we do,” added Herr.
“I just joined because I wanted to serve my country,” added Rosado.