COMETS REVEAL MILITARY APPRECIATION JERSEYS AND PATCHES
Nov 4, 2021On Thursday, November 11th, the Utica Comets will hold our annual Veteran's Day celebration as the Comets take on the Syracuse Crunch at 3pm. The 2021 Veteran's Day jerseys include an American Flag on the right shoulder and an Honor and Remember flag on the left, to represent Gold Star families. This year our players were given the choice of which military unit patch they would like to represent on their Military Appreciation jerseys. Patches from all branches of the military were selected.
Rick Redmond, a Purple Heart Recipient and the General Manager of the Adirondack Bank Center met with the team earlier in the week. "I had the opportunity to spend some time with the team this week, explaining to them the importance of our relationship with the local Veteran community," Redmond said. "We helped them understand what the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium stands for in regards to those that have served our great country.
The players had the opportunity to select a military unit patch to wear on this year’s Veteran’s Day specialty jersey, and I was happy to guide them in understanding the branches of our military and the specific units assigned to each branch. This year’s jersey is special, and might be my favorite so far. Players will be wearing a jersey representing some of the military units that our Veterans have served in."
Below is what each player chose, and a brief description of each unit.
#2 Michael Vukojevic - 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Empire") is an infantry brigade combat team of the New York Army National Guard, one of the brigades that make up the 42nd Infantry Division. The state mission of the 27th Infantry Brigade is to maintain a manned, trained and equipped force capable of rapid deployment to any area within New York to aid civil authorities. The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is also tasked with overseas deployment missions and must be capable to respond to any threat, foreign or domestic.
#5 Robbie Russo - USAF Special Operations
The United States Air Force Special Operations serves as the United States specialized airpower, capable across the spectrum of conflict. Able to deal with conflict any place or anytime.
#6 Colton White - Pacific Air Force
The Pacific Air Forces, headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is one of two USAF Major Commands outside the Continental United States. It has engaged in combat during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Operation Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Its area of responsibility extends from the west coast of the United States to the east coast of Asia and form the Artic to the Antarctic.
#7 Chase Deleo - US Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard manages six major operational mission programs: Maritime Law Enforcement, Maritime Response, Maritime Prevention, Marine Transportation System Management, Maritime Security Operations, and Defense Operations.
#10 Brian Flynn - Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army that are designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and security force assistance.
#12 Tyce Thompson - US Marine Corps Aviation 
United States Marine Corps Aviation is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. It operates as support for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing six functions: assault support, antiair warfare, close air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and aerial reconnaissance.
#13 Patrick McGrath - 82nd ABN Division 
The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in joint forcible entry operations. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Division was constituted in the National Army on August 5th, 1917, and was organized on August 25th, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the unit acquired the nickname "All American," which is the basis for its famed “AA” shoulder patch.
#15 Joe Gambardella - 1st Marine Division 
The 1st Marine Division is the oldest, largest, and most decorated marine division, headquartered at Camp Pendleton, California. Today, the division is a force of 22,000 men and women organized to conduct combat operations. The 1st Marine Division is an adaptable expeditionary force in readiness, generating, deploying and returning forces in support of global force management and contingency response requirements and prepared to deploy as a scalable ground combat element in order to defeat peer, near-peer and hybrid threats across the range of military operations.
#16 Nate Schnarr - 18th Airborne Corp
The XVIII Airborne Corps is “America’s Contingency Corps” and Fort Bragg is the home of the Army’s Airborne and Special Operations Forces. When America needs her armed forces in a hurry, the first phone calls come to us. The Corps, the Army’s strategic response force, is skilled, tough and ready around the clock to deploy, fight, and win. Fort Bragg is the Army’s flagship power projection platform that provides world-class support to America’s Airborne and Special Operations warriors and their Families.
#17 AJ Greer - Navy Special Warfare Command
The mission of the Navy Special Warfare Command is to provide leadership, doctrinal guidance, resources, and oversight to special operations carried out in maritime and littoral environments. WARCOM specializes in a broad range of tactical areas, including unconventional warfare, direct action, counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, and personnel recovery.
#20 Fabian Zetterlund - Seabees 
Seabees provide a wide range of construction in support of operating forces, including roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields and logistics bases; provides responsive support disaster recovery operations; performs civic action projects to improve relations with other nations; and provides anti-terrorism and force protection for personnel and construction projects.
#22 Reilly Walsh - 5th Marine Division 
The 5th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps ground combat division. The Division saw is first combat action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, where it sustained the highest number of casualties of the three marine divisions in the invasion force. The division was not intended to go overseas during it reactivation in the Vietnam War, but was emergency airlifted to respond to the all-out Communist Tet-Offensive. It was the first major combat unit to return to the United States from the Vietnam War
#23 Tyler Wotherspoon - Space Operations Command 
Space Operations Command serves to protect the United States and its allies in, from, and to space from now and into the future. They aim to generate, present, and sustain combat-ready intelligence, cyber, space and combat support forces and serves as the United States Space Force Service Component to USSPACECOM.
#25 Nolan Foote - Aerospace Defense Command 
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command or the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense, it was disbanded in 1980. Its mission was to provide air defense of the Continental United States. It directly controlled all active measures, and was tasked to coordinate all passive means of air defense.
#26 Ryan Schmelzer - 10th Mountain 
Team Mountain – an integrated, multi-component, joint team of Soldiers, airmen, civilians, families, and regional partners – prepares globally responsive combat-ready forces; on order, rapidly deploys adaptive expeditionary units and executes unified land operations in support of the joint force to win in a complex world.
#35 Nico Daws - 3rd BN/3rd Marine 
The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps, based out of Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i. Known as “Trinity” or “America’s Battalion”, the unit has operated in war since WWII.
#38 Jeremy Groleau - 101st ABN Division 
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is the only air assault division of the United States Army. Nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles,” the 101st has consistently distinguished itself by demonstrating the highest standards of military professionalism since its activation at one minute after midnight, Aug. 16, 1942.
#44 Luke Stevens - Tactical Air Command 
Tactical Air Command was established to provide a balance between strategic, air defense, and tactical forces of the post–World War II U.S. Army Air Forces followed by, in 1947, the U.S. Air Force. In 1948, the Continental Air Command assumed control over air defense, tactical air, and air reserve forces. After two years in a subordinate role, Tactical Air Command (TAC) was established as a major command. In 1992, after assessing the mission of TAC and to accommodate a decision made regarding Strategic Air Command (SAC), Headquarters United States Air Force inactivated TAC and incorporated its resources into the newly created Air Combat Command
#77 Aarne Talvitie - 3rd Marine Division 
3rd Marine Division operates as a Stand-In Force in the first island chain to secure, seize, or defend key maritime terrain in order to deny and disrupt adversary actions in support of the Fleet, the joint force, and partnered and allied forces.
#82 Nikita Okhotiuk - US Naval Aviation 
United States Naval Aviation serves to provide aerial support to the United States Navy. Since its inception just over 100 years ago, it has grown and become a decisive element in many conflicts including but not limited to the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
#88 Kevin Bahl - Army Corps of Engineers 
With environmental sustainability as a guiding principle, our disciplined Corps team is working diligently to strengthen our Nation’s security by building and maintaining America’s infrastructure and providing military facilities where our servicemembers train, work and live. We are also researching and developing technology for our war fighters while protecting America’s interests abroad by using our engineering expertise to promote stability and improve quality of life.
#90 Jesper Boqvist - 1st Cavalry Division 
1st Cavalry Division provides scalable combat ready forces up to an expeditionary division or Joint Task Force Headquarters, capable of conducting Unified Land Operations anywhere in the world on short notice to support diverse and fluid mission requirements.
#92 Graeme Clarke - Strategic Air Command
Strategic Arm Command was responsible for Cold War command and control of two of the three components of the U.S. military’s strategic nuclear strike forces. It controlled the land-based strategic bomber aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs. It also operated all strategic reconnaissance aircraft, all strategic airborne command post aircraft, and all USAF aerial refueling aircraft.
#93 Akira Schmid - 2nd Marine Division 
2nd Marine Division is a multi-role, expeditionary ground combat force. The division is employed as the ground combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force or may provide task-organized forces for assault operations and such operations as may be directed. The 2d Marine Division must be able to provide the ground amphibious forcible entry capability to the naval expeditionary force and conduct subsequent land operations in any operational environment.