Men's Basketball to Host Hero Appreciation Day Sunday

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- When the Bucknell men's basketball team hosts Lafayette on Sunday, the Bison will be staging Hero Appreciation Day, with a number of activities and remembrances taking place to honor the men and women who serve our nation and local communities. Of note, the Bison have partnered with Memories of Honor to recognize fallen service members. During pregame warmups and on the bench, each member of the team will wear a special shooting shirt with the name of a fallen hero on the back (see below for more details).

In addition, there will be free admission for all veterans, active-duty servicemen and servicewomen, Gold Star families, and all first responders (police, fire, EMS). Bucknell will also be coordinating a care-package drive to collect personal items that will be sent to soldiers overseas. Below is a brief list of some items that that are ideal to ship to both male and female personnel, albeit this is not an all-encompassing list. Please note that we cannot ship any aerosols due to regulations from the FAA.

Canned/Packaged food (beans, vegetables, fruit, soup, chili, rice)
Small Snacks (granola bars, cookies, chips, candy, gum)
Soap/Body Wash
Shampoo
Deodorant
Razors/Shaving Cream
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Lotion/Skin Care Products/Sunscreen
Word Searches, Crossword Puzzles, Trivia Games

There will be a tub to collect donations in the Sojka Pavilion lobby on game day, and donations can also be delivered to the Bucknell Athletics administrative suite in the Langone Athletics & Recreation Center.

Here are the fallen soldiers that will be honored on Sunday, along with the Bucknell player that will be wearing his name on his warmup shirt (bio information provided by Memories of Honor):

CPL Aaron Lynn Allmandinger (shirt worn by #14 Ben Robertson)
Aaron was only 22 years old when he died. He left behind a 3 1/2-yearold daughter, Taylor. Born in Van Wert, Ohio on April 26, 1986, he was the son of Terry L. and Beth A. (Parker) Allmandinger. He married Kristin (Paugh) on Sept. 21, 2004. Aaron enlisted with the U.S. Army in April 2005 as a 19 Delta Scout. He went to basic training at Fort Knox. Upon graduation he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, attached to Commanche Troop 1-7 CAV. He served as a gunner in OIF 2006-2008 and served as Squadron Commander Gunner. He was a decorated soldier.

2LT Darryn D. Andrews (shirt worn by #21 Kahliel Spear)
Darryn was the recipient of three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and the Texas Medal of Honor. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was killed Sept. 4 in Yahya Khail District, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device and a rocket-propelled grenade.

2LT Michael Girdano (shirt worn by #11 Avi Toomer)
Michael, from Pennsylvania, died on Aug. 1, 2008 at age 23 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He died Aug. 1 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

SSG Patrick Hamburger (shirt worn by #10 Andrew Funk)
Pat was killed in action on Aug. 6, 2011 with 30 soldiers in Wardak Province Afghanistan when their CH-47 Chinook was shot down by an RPG. Pat was Flight Engineer on the Chinook and left behind his parents DeLayne and Joyce Peck and 2 1/2-year-old daughter Payton. Pat was a mechanical genius that was able to take apart anything and fix it. This was a talent he'd had his whole life. He was proud to be a soldier.

SGT Patrick Hawkins (shirt worn by #2 Walter Ellis)
Patrick, 25, of Carlisle, Pa., was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. He died Oct. 6, in Zhari District, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed in the incident were 1st Lt. Jennifer Moreno, Sgt. Joseph Peters and Pfc. Cody Patterson.

SPC Christopher Horton (shirt worn by #22 Matt O'Reilly)
Christopher, 26, of Collinsville, Okla. was assigned to 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, Tulsa, Okla.. He died Sept. 9 in Zurmat district, Paktya province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.

CPL Bryant J. Luxmore (shirt worn by #15 Nate Jones)
Bryant was killed in action on June 10, 2012 in Afghanistan, leaving behind a wife, young son, a brother who was his best friend, loving parents, friends and family who all miss him dearly each and every day. Thank you for not forgetting his sacrifice!

22441

SPC Austin Monk (shirt worn by #3 Jimmy Sotos)
Austin grew up in Friona, Texas and right after high school, he joined the Army. He was always funny, sarcastic and had a love for the Dallas Cowboys (and their cheerleaders). He enlisted in October of 2007 and did his training at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Sill before leaving for Korea in March of 2008. He became engaged to me (Laura) that weekend before he left, but we met on a Greyhound bus back while he was on Christmas block leave. We got married in March of 2009 in one of the most wonderful ceremonies I can ever imagine. Once he was stationed at Fort Bragg, he deployed to Iraq almost immediately, which is where he got sick with leukemia. He fought a long battle, with many ups and downs but not once did he lose his courage or passion for life. He loved life, his battle buddies and his family.

CPL Kevin W. Prince (shirt worn by #0 Paul Newman)
Kevin, 22, of Plain City, Ohio was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif. He died Apr. 23 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in Iskandariyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. Kevin loved to run track and play soccer.

CW3 Matthew Ruffner (shirt worn by #5 Jordan Sechan)
Matt was a wonderful son, brother and friend. He was well respected as an IP and Apache Pilot, and is missed tremendously. He was also a great athlete and musician.

SSG Eric Shaw (shirt worn by #1 Kimbal Mackenzie)
Eric was killed during his third tour of duty, 16 days after he deployed to Afghanistan. He died during Operation Strong Eagle 1, which at the time was the largest mission the 101st Airborne had been a part of since the Vietnam War. He saved the lives of 12 ANA Soldiers and allowed the mission to move forward to its objective on entering the Gahaki Valley, which was a stronghold for enemy forces. For his actions that day, he earned our nation's second highest medal, the Distinguished Service Cross. He also received the Bronze Star with Valor. His DSC is currently under review for an upgrade to the Medal of Honor. He is survived by his wife, Audrey, and three daughters, Madison, Victoria and Julia Shaw.

SSG Christopher Swanson (shirt worn by #13 Bruce Moore)
Chris was serving in his third tour when he was KIA on July 22, 2006. He loved what he was doing and wanted to make a difference in the world. He loved God, his family, and his country. Thank you for racing in Chris' memory and sharing in keeping his memory alive.

CPL John Corey Tanner (shirt worn by #4 Nate Sestina)
Corey, as he was called by family, loved being a Marine. He had a wonderful sense of humor, loved to see everyone smile and loved his family and friends. The love he had for others ... well, it was definitely returned. Corey had only been married to his love for a few months and she was pregnant with their first child when he was killed in Iraq. His son, Tavian, was born after Corey was killed and received his service medal.

CWO2 Kenneth V. Welch (shirt worn by #12 John Meeks)
Ken died in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy Annex in 1984 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was the father of two sons who were ages six and eight when he was killed.

Men's Basketball to Host Hero Appreciation Day Sunday

Players Mentioned

Walter Ellis

Andrew Funk

Nate Jones

Kimbal Mackenzie

John Meeks

Bruce Moore

Paul Newman

Matt O'Reilly

Ben Robertson

Jordan Sechan

Nate Sestina

Jimmy Sotos

Kahliel Spear

Avi Toomer

Related Videos