Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
The San Diego Padres honored two Camp Pendleton Marines as part of their Military Opening Night ceremonies April 20.
The recognition of the 32 award-winning servicemen from area bases, stations, and offices included Corporal Sean Pateneau and Lance Corporal Mark Rine. Pateneau was the Non-commissioned Officer of the Quarter for Camp Pendleton and Rine was the Marine of the Quarter.
Ten Marines — two from Camp Pendleton, four from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and four from the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot — were among the 32 servicemen honored. The Padres also honored ten members of the Navy and four servicemen apiece from the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Army.
“We’re thrilled to do it each year. I think the organization looks forward to this each year, as do the players,” said Captain Jack Ensch, the Padres’ Director of Military Marketing.
Military Opening Night also included a performance by the Leap Frogs parachute team of the US Navy, a flyover by two HH-60J Jayhawks, the Star-Spangled Banner performed by the Navy Band Southwest’s marching band, and presentation of the colors by the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Color Guard along with the Fifty-State Flag Team from the Navy Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center.
As has been the case for the Padres’ military opening game since 2000, the players wore camouflage jerseys during the 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers April 20. “This is a way of showing our appreciation,” Ensch said.
Ensch noted that the military opening games also show members of the military that the organization appreciates their sacrifices. Although not all members of the military have made sacrifices to the extent of Ensch, whose 30 years in the Navy included eight months in a prisoner of war camp sponsored by the government of North Vietnam, relatively low pay and separation from families are sacrifices made by many members of the armed forces.
The Padres have designated a military opening game each year since the 1996 season. The 2005 opener included the opportunity for fans to purchase camouflage wristbands for $2, the proceeds of which benefit the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House at Naval Medical Center San Diego, which are embossed with the slogan “For Those Who Serve.” San Diego’s Fisher House is one of 32 facilities which serve as a “home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and Veterans Administration centers.
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