The Steelers will honor members of the Armed Forces when they host the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field on Sunday as a part of the Salute to Service game.
The game will be filled with activities to honor the military and will be highlighted by a pregame performance by country music star Justin Moore. Moore will perform his No. 1 single, "The Ones That Didn't Make It Back Home," while surrounded by local military members who recently returned home from deployment.
During the performance, the United States Army Black Daggers Special Ops Parachute Team will jump into Heinz Field to celebrate all service members.
The Terrible Towel Twirl will be started by Steelers legends who are also military veterans: John Banaszak (Marines), Jon Kolb (Army) and Rocky Bleier (Army) and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Tanqueray Hayward will sing the National Anthem, with the United States Military Joint Services Color Guard.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of World War II, U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller will make a special presentation to WWII Veteran Private First Class Henry Parham, 97, who will be attending his first Steelers game. Parham served three years in the U.S. Army as a Private First Class in Normandy, France. His unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, was the only all African American unit that landed on Normandy on D-DAY and he is the only surviving member.
One representative from each branch of the military will help lead the team on the field during player intros, with each of them carrying their branch flags.
The American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes will be set up in the FedEx Great Hall. Red Cross staff members will have a holiday card signing station for deployed military members, veterans and their families. Fans can visit the display in the FedEx Great Hall from when gates open until the end of halftime.
Video messages from local service members who are deployed will be shown during the game and the team will also honor over 100 Heinz Field game day staff members who are veterans.
The team will host a Salute to Service Halftime Challenge, with the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard competing in an on-field competition to make a donation to a charity of their choice, with all of their charities receiving a donation. The charities represented are: Army: Guardian Angels Service Dogs; Marines: Semper Fi Fund; Navy: Veteran's Place; Air Force: Operation Troop Appreciation; and Coast Guard: Gold Star Mothers. In addition, the 50/50 raffle will benefit Military Charities.
