The San Jose Earthquakes will be honoring the armed forces at their Salute to Armed Forces Day on Saturday, July 12 when they host the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium. The game will kick off at 1:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
The day will feature tributes to the military, beginning with a pre-game ceremony honoring all active and inactive military, veterans and their families. Throughout the game there will be public service announcements displayed from troops stationed all over the world on the video board and fans will have the opportunity to send their own messages to the troops from the game. The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard will also have an on-site presence at the game.
All military members will be able to purchase discounted tickets to the game and those in attendance will receive a commemorative San Jose Earthquakes Salute to Armed Forces military commemorative challenge coin. Season ticket holders will be able to get involved in the day by donating their tickets to the troops and their families, through an Earthquakes ticket exchange program. All season ticket holders interested in participating in the ticket exchange program can send their tickets to the Earthquakes front office at San Jose Earthquakes, ATTN: Salute to Armed Forces Day, 451 El Camino Real, Suite 220, Santa Clara, CA 95050. To purchase tickets or receive more information, call 1-877-QUAKES-01 or log onto SJEarthquakes.com.
The day's festivities are in conjunction with the Earthquakes joining the America Supports You program. America Supports You is a Department of Defense initiative that highlights the support of the American people and connects that support to service members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. The Quakes are one of several Bay Area teams involved in the program, including the Oakland A's, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco Giants and San Jose Sabercats.
"We are so pleased to have the San Jose Earthquakes join the America Supports You program," said Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. "We're looking forward to working side-by-side with the Earthquakes and the people of San Jose to ensure that our troops and their families know they will always have the support of our nation."
Julie DeMaria, founder of Operation: Care and Comfort, was instrumental in connecting the Bay Area sports teams with the America Supports You program.
"I'm a huge supporter of America Supports You because their primary mission is to show our troops just how much Americans support them," said DeMaria. "I'm so proud to have played a role in introducing our great Bay Area sports teams to this morale-boosting program."
Operation: Care and Comfort is one of 53 homefront groups in California, the state with the most America Supports You groups in the country. Twenty-three of these California-based groups have joined ASY within the last year.
