Astros and Whataburger to Host Military Appreciation Night on July 5

On July 5, the Astros will celebrate our nation's heroes with a special Military Appreciation Night presented by Whataburger. This is the sixth time the Astros and Whataburger have partnered to honor our brave service men and women with Military Appreciation Night. Whataburger will also be donating 1,000 complimentary tickets and Whataburger coupons to all five active-duty military branches and veteran's groups to commemorate the special night at the ballpark.
"There is such an exciting energy at Minute Maid Park, and Whataburger is proud to partner with the Houston Astros for the sixth consecutive year to host Military Appreciation Night," said Whataburger Regional Director of Operations Jeff Foster. "Nights like this wouldn't be possible without the brave men and women who work hard to keep our community safe and this is just one way for all of us to say thank you."
"We are proud to honor our nation's military on Thursday thanks to the generous support of Whataburger," said Executive Direction of the Astros Foundation Twila Carter. "Honoring our active-duty military and veterans is a central tenet of the Astros Foundation and we look forward to supporting that effort in new and exciting ways throughout the year."
The night will kick off with a special Reenlistment Ceremony on the field prior to the start of the game, featuring soldiers from Ft. Hood. The Oath of Reenlistment is a ceremony in which an enlisted soldier reaffirms his or her commitment to service in the United States Military. Nearly 100 soldiers from Ft. Hood will march onto the field and will take the Oath of Reenlistment in the outfield of Minute Maid Park, executing their contract of continued service to the Army.
The pregame ceremony will continue with 40 active-duty military members presenting the American flag in the outfield. The US Army 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command will present our nation's colors and the 13th ESC Quartet will perform the National Anthem.
Additionally, Master Sergeant Jonathan Sullivan will throw out a ceremonial first pitch and receive free Whataburger for a year for his service and sacrifice. Master Sergeant Sullivan completed four deployments in support of Operation Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom from 1998-2001 as a Security Forces Specialist in the inaugural 820th Security Forces Group. In 2002, he retrained into Fire Protection and completed three deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn as well as completing a one-year deployment in Honduras with the U.S. Army's Joint Task Force Bravo providing fire protection to support regional cooperation and security within Central America.
-ASTROS-