NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ University will honor the men and women of the United States Armed Services on Saturday, Oct. 11, during Military Appreciation Day, which will include an F-18 jet flyover minutes before the 1 p.m. CST kickoff of the ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ-Navy football game.
Military Appreciation Day, a series of events planned in conjunction with ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ’s homecoming game, includes a special ticket promotion for members of the armed services. Current and retired members of the military can purchase up to four tickets at $5 each to see the Commodores take on the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen.
Minutes prior to kickoff, three Navy F-18 jets will perform a flyover of the stadium. VFA-106, the gladiators from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., will perform the flyover. Veteran pilots from the War on Terrorism will fly the planes, they are: Lt. "Scrappy" Hanle and Lt. "Baja" Hart of the U.S. Navy and Lt. Cmdr. "Tats" Tattersal with Britain’s Royal Navy. Ensign Andrea "Alky" Alvord, a recent Naval ROTC graduate from ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ University will ride in the 2nd seat of Hanle’s jet. Alvord is on track to attend flight school in about a month.
Other planned activities include the display of several military vehicles in front of ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ Stadium prior to the game.
"Our military is very important to ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ. This is the least that we can do to show our gratitude toward them for what they have done for our nation," ²¤ÂÜÊÓÆµ Chancellor Gordon Gee said.
Media contact: Princine Lewis, (615) 322-NEWS princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu