The Dayton Dragons, along with the Dayton Development Coalition, will host the first of two “Hometown Heroes Celebration Nights” at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, when the Dragons host the Great Lakes Loons. The program is part of a season-long celebration to pay tribute to all service men and women associated with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Springfield Air National Guard Base.
During the game, the Dragons will honor 10 Airmen recently returned from overseas duty in addition to presenting a video greeting card on the Dragons video board. The Airmen were deployed from WPAFB around the world including Afghanistan and Iraq. The greeting card will be from Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Arzola, who is currently stationed in Afghanistan.
The Heroes celebration will begin with military displays on the Fifth Third Field plaza at 6 p.m. Cassandra Pittman, a senior airmen in the 178th Fighter Wing Air National Guard based in Springfield, will perform the national anthem. Pittman will also sing God Bless America. The Wright-Patterson Honor Guard will present the colors. A group of Air Force recruits will also be sworn in during the program.