Patriots, Kraft Family To Honor Vietnam Veterans, Gold Star Families

The Patriots will continue their annual tradition of hosting pinning ceremonies at Gillette Stadium on Veterans Day.

FOXBORO — Though the New England Patriots are currently enjoying their bye week, they will continue their ‘Salute to Service’ initiative during Week 10 of the 2022 NFL Season.

In honor of Veterans Day, the Kraft family, along with the New England Patriots Foundation, and Cross Insurance will welcome 30 Vietnam veterans to Gillette Stadium for a special pinning ceremony on Friday at 11 a.m ET. Team owner Robert Kraft, Josh Kraft, Jonathan Cross and former Patriot great Andre Tippett will present ‘Vietnam Veteran’ lapel pins to the men and women on hand, as a method of recognizing, thanking and honoring them for their service during the Vietnam War.

Friday’s ceremony will be part of an initiative by the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration to present all of those who served in the Vietnam War with a lapel pin. The Patriots have joined those efforts the last several years, hosting pinning ceremonies on Veterans Day.

In addition, America’s Gold Star wives and families will also be in attendance and will be recognized. The organization was founded to provide hope and healing to those grieving any military loss through active duty service in the United States Armed Forces.

The Patriots organization is certainly no stranger to honoring those who have been, and continue to be, of service to our nation. Last Sunday, the Patriots honored hundreds of service men and women during their annual Salute to Service game when they hosted the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. The Pats, in conjunction with personnel from all branches of the United States Armed Forces, sponsored multiple pregame and halftime ceremonies to support our military.

New England’s connection to the Armed Forces has also been well documented. Coach Bill Belichick has had close ties to the United States Naval Academy, as well as the surrounding areas— having grown up in close proximity to the school’s campus. His father, Steve, was an assistant coach and scout at the Naval Academy for over 30 years, retiring in 1989.

Larry White, the seventeen-year older brother of Devin and Jason McCourty enlisted in the Army when his famous twin brothers were only one year old. White completed his training at Fort Knox and Fort Hood then fought for nine months in Desert Storm as an E4 Specialist, operating A1 tanks in combat.

Long-snapper Joe Cardona was New England’s fifth-round draft selection from the Naval Academy in 2015. In addition to his seven-plus successful seasons with the Pats, he also continues to serve in the U.S. Navy. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2020 and has also led numerous military support initiatives, such as hosting over a dozen special re-enlistment and retirement ceremonies, and free football clinics for military children at military bases all over New England.

For his efforts both on and off the field, the Patriots chose Cardona as their nominee for the NFL’s 2022 Salute to Service Award presented by USAA.

Upon the conclusion of their bye week, the Patriots will welcome the New York Jets (6-3) to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 20 for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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