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Military youth honored at Wolfpack baseball game

As N.C. State University’s baseball team took to the field against Virginia Tech in early April, military youth and their families — representing all branches of North Carolina’s military — were on hand to participate in the fourth annual Military Appreciation Day Baseball Game. April is Month of the Military Child.

Military youth,children of reserve, guard or active duty members of the U.S. military service, attended the game for free and ran out on the field with Wolfpack team members for the singing of the national anthem. In addition, game day fans had a chance to see Airmen parachute into the Doak Stadium.

N.C. 4-H Youth Development’s Operation: Military Kids (OMK) organized the military youth who participated in the “Run with the Pack” during the opening ceremonies. Fifteen military youth ages 5-14 were selected to run out with the Wolfpack baseball players as the line-up was announced.  This was NC OMK and N.C. State Athletics’ fourth year providing military youth a chance to “Run with the Pack.” The baseball event is sponsored by N.C. State’s Army ROTC program.

Two parents, whose children participated in the event, thanked 4-H and N.C. State Athletics for including their children in the baseball game activities.

“Thank you for making this happen! I’m currently deployed so I wasn’t able to attend but my son and wife had a great time,”said Wayne Schutts, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Squad Alpha Team leader, North Carolina Army National Guard.

youth on field with player
Military youth prepare to take the field at the baseball game.

“I know that my children had such an amazing time! They will remember this for the rest of their lives. Thanks,” said Ada Jacobs, United States Air Force wife and mother.

North Carolina is home to more than 123,000 active duty, reserve and guard troops, whose families include more than 109,000 military youth through age 18.

4-H in North Carolina serves the state’s military youth through a number of initiatives, including summer camping programs, 4-H programs and activities, a Mobile Technology Lab where youth create messages for their deployed parents; Speak Out for Military Kids, a program that trains youth to understand and advocate for military youth issues and inform citizens on building community networks to support military families.

For more information on 4-H military youth programs, contact J. Scott Enroughty at 919.515.8500 or scott_enroughty@ncsu.edu  Visit the websites at www.nc4h.org/military  or  www.operationmilitarykids.org.