ATLANTA- As part of its Military Appreciation Weekend, the Georgia State baseball team honored one of our nation's wounded heroes prior to its game against James Madison at the GSU Baseball Complex Sunday.
In partnership with Wounded Warrior ProjectTM (WWP) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), GSU invited U.S. Army Sgt. Jon Bedford to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before its Colonial Athletic Association contest.
Sergeant Bedford has been on five military tours in his career, three times in conflicts in Iraq and twice in Afghanistan. For his courageous actions, Sgt. Bedford was awarded both the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He is currently earning his mathematics degree at Kennesaw State University in metro Atlanta.
WWP is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "honor and empower Wounded Warriors and make this the most successful, well-adjusted generation of veterans in our nation's history."
"Wounded warriors are models of service and dedication, and being publicly recognized for their sacrifices at events like this can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them," said Steve Nardizzi, Executive Director, Wounded Warrior Project. "Our hope is that these warriors also inspire the teams and fans around the country as they share their stories of recovery and resiliency."
Over 47,000 service members have been physically wounded during the current military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands more are estimated to be recovering from invisible wounds of war, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
For more information on WWP, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
It is the second straight year that GSU baseball has partnered with the WWP.
About NACDA
NACDA, now in its 47th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the athletics director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior ProjectTM (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.
