Seahawks Honor WWII Chinese American Veterans
During the two-minute warning of the first half of the Seahawks' Week 13 Monday Night Football matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, six Chinese American World War II veterans were honored on the field. The veterans are set to receive the Congressional Gold Medal and will be honored again at a ceremony in Washington D.C. of 2020.
Along with all of the team's efforts to support our armed forces, the Seahawks were sure to put aside a part of its in-game promotions to ensure that 12s do not forget the sacrifices made by veterans of the military.
A group of the veterans' family and friends gathered in a Seahawks suite prior to kickoff of the MNF game. "It's an honor to have them here and it's a great education for the fans," said Seahawks VP of Community Engagement Mike Flood. Flood also gifted the honorees with a ceremonial military coin from the Seahawks.
“We consider it an honor to salute these veterans,” Mike Flood, Seattle Seahawks’ vice president of community outreach and a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard himself, told iExaminer ahead of the game. “We want our fans to know what a sacrifice these Americans made for our country and what they went through to serve.”
He added, “These veterans went a long time without being recognized. They are a huge part of the fabric of this country and its time we honor them for their service.”
“As an individual, they may not have done anything, but as a group, they managed to save the world,” Terry Nicolas, commander of the Veterans of Foreign War post in which the six are members, told Northwest Asian Weekly. He said that the night was everything, “especially for these guys to be finally honored.”
Seattle Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong told the same outlet, “As a Chinese American, their service and sacrifice for our country fills me with pride. I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet each of them in person.”
“[To] see all these men recognized for all their patriotism, their bravery, and their courage is just amazing,” Rod Mar, a nephew of Lip Mar, told the Seattle Channel.