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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 28, 2013Steve MaxnerMichael McBridePete NaschakBLAYNE BEAL: Texas Tech University, The Lone Survivor Foundation, Under Armour and the military, Order of the Purple Heart, are pleased to join forces to present the Lone Survivor Game on November 9th when Texas Tech hosts the defending Big 12 Conference Champion, Kansas State Wildcats, at Jones AT&T Stadium. This game is being presented to call attention to the tremendous working done by the Lone Survivor Foundation, and also to honor our nation's veterans and active duty military personnel. This is going to be a unique event and the only event of its kind across the nation, and Texas Tech is very grateful to be playing the role that it is. On November 9th, we'll host fellow Texan, Marcus Luttrell, on our campus, as well as over 400 Purple Heart recipients from all across the nation. This will be the single largest gathering of Purple Heart recipients ever on American soil. There's going to be a lot of excitement leading up to the game, a lot of great events and plenty of touching and exciting moments during the game as well. The news release that's been disseminated will guide you through all the events we have planned and all the different things being done by the Lone Survivor Foundation, Purple Heart, and Under Armour. At this time I'd like to introduce to you Pete Naschak, he's a retired Navy Seal, and president of the board for the Lone Survivor Foundation to speak on the mission of the Lone Survivor Foundation and why they have partnered with Texas Tech and Under Armour. PETE NASCHAK: Thank you, Blayne. Good afternoon. I first want to start off by saying it's truly an honor and we are extremely excited to be involved with an institution of your caliber, and we appreciate everything that Under Armour and both Texas Tech are doing to support our important mission of restoring, empowering, and renewing hope for our wounded service members and their families. I think it's important to remember that this group has not been around all that long. It was started in 2010 by Marcus Luttrell who wrote the book "Lone Survivor" which has come out to be a movie that's going to be coming out in January. He is the inspiration for what we do. What we do as a foundation is we focus in on families and wounded service members that are suffering with post‑traumatic stress, with military sexual trauma, with traumatic brain injury, and with pain management issues, and we work with them by taking them to ranch retreats, getting them out of their normal environment, and helping them to learn and understand what they're dealing with and work as a functional unit, a team, just like a solid football team at home so they can work through the issues and move on and do what they have to do in life the right way and the best way possible. So our group is unique in what we accomplish. These therapeutic ranch retreats are not just a vacation. There is heavy work that's being done, and we are doing great work with individuals that have benefited from what we do in a unique way. We use tools like psycho‑education and horse therapy, which is called equine‑assisted learning, and in the outdoors and the wilderness and the ranch, the same type of environment that helped Marcus Luttrell when he came home from that event that that movie is based on. The foundation is not the norm out there. There are not a lot of groups that are focused in on the family this way and the family unit, and we are really pushing hard and committed to making that system work. So the ability to be exposed in this way with this organization and this institution and with Under Armour's help, helps us get the word out to those individuals that are not seeking help. The awareness is key for us. It's amazing. I can't tell you how excited we are and how appreciative we are for everything you've done. Q. You said that 400 would be the largest such gathering of war recipients? PETE NASCHAK: Yeah, that's for the Purple Heart. Any questions on the foundation or anything that's involved in what we do and how we help the soldiers? Q. How many veterans have you helped so far? PETE NASCHAK: In the last two years we've helped over 60 veterans and families. BLAYNE BEAL: Now we'll bring up Steve Maxner, the director of the Texas Tech Vietnam Center. STEVE MAXNER: Thank you very much, Blayne, and Texas Tech Athletics for hosting this event. Good afternoon, everyone. It's my pleasure to speak on behalf of a significant group of partners who have worked together to create some remarkable events and programs that will take place between now and November 11. This group includes the Saluting Heroes Committee here in Lubbock, Texas, Texas Tech Athletics, the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech, the Texas Tech University Museum, the Veterans Resource Coordination Group and the military veterans program at Texas Tech. The purpose behind our endeavors is to recognize and express our deeply felt gratitude to our nation's veterans and their families and to raise awareness in our community regarding the many challenges our veterans continue to face in the aftermath of their service and sacrifice in war. Toward that goal, we have focused our attention on men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal. The Purple Heart is the oldest military medal still awarded to men and women in the United States Armed Forces. This medal is unique in that it is not awarded at the discretion of a commander, but automatically conferred upon someone who has met painfully simple, yet highly notable and honorable criteria. The medal is awarded in the name of the President, and to those who have been either wounded or killed in action while fighting against an enemy of the United States. Approximately 1.5 million Purple Hearts have been awarded from World War II to the present. So from now through November 11, we're proud and humbled to be recognizing the dedication and sacrifices of men and women who have received the Purple Heart. This will include a public reception tomorrow evening, Tuesday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium at the Texas Tech University Museum where we'll have a public unveiling of the Texas Vietnam Heroes exhibit. This exhibit features 3,417 dog tags that have embossed upon them the name of all Texans killed in action or missing in action from the Vietnam war. On November 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. also at the Helen Jones Auditorium, we'll host the first annual South Plains Veterans Summit which will include a panel discussion on post‑traumatic stress disorder featuring several of our nationÂ’s foremost experts on PTSD, as well as a discussion on traumatic brain injury and other issues of particular importance to veterans as they continue to serve our nation or as they transition from military service to civilian life. But of particular importance today, our group has worked tirelessly to assemble as many recipients of the Purple Heart as possible to attend the Texas Tech University football game November 9 against Kansas State. Currently we have registered more than 400 Purple Heart veterans who will attend that game. We fully anticipate that the Lone Survivor Game of Texas Tech will now feature the largest gathering of Purple Heart veterans ever assembled on American soil. We especially appreciate the essential role of Texas Tech University Athletics in donating the tickets and developing the game‑day program that will help us to recognize those veterans and their families. For everyone attending the game, we also invite you to consider donating an unwrapped toy as we are coordinating with the local U.S. Marine Corps Toys For Tots program and we hope to stuff a bus full of toys for that wonderful cause as well. So we invite everyone to Lubbock and our surrounding communities to please join us as we honor and thank our veterans and their families and to join us for all these activities starting tomorrow through game day, November 9th. Q. Can you put into context the more than 400 people who watched the previous game? STEVE MAXNER: According to the military, the Purple Heart Organization, their national headquarters, the largest gathering on American soil to this point has been 200 Purple Heart recipients. There have been larger gatherings at some of the cemeteries in Europe especially for the World War II veterans. There over a million recipients of the Purple Heart from that war alone. So there have been a number of gatherings that have surpassed this in Europe. But to our understanding and in accordance to the U.S. Military Order of the Purple Heart, this is the largest gathering ever on U.S. soil. Q. What do you attribute that to? STEVE MAXNER: Outreach, a tremendous amount of outreach, both locally but also within the national chapter and national organization of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. We reached out to them. They placed ads in their national magazine and notified veterans throughout Texas and throughout the surrounding states to make sure they knew about this opportunity for them to attend this game and be recognized. I'd like to also note that it was 400 to 500 so far who have confirmed that they should be attending the game. In addition to that, we've received about 600 other registrants who just wanted to write in and let us know that they were interested in this game and wanted recognition but, of course, not actually attending the game. So in excess of 1,000 registrants overall with 400 confirmed. Q. Any idea (No microphone)? PETE NASCHAK: Unfortunately, not. But we can get that information for you. Q. Can you speak to how they'll be honored during the game? PETE NASCHAK: Well, there are going to be a number of opportunities. There is going to be an opening game ceremony where we're going to have veterans on the field. There will be, of course, recognition for the veterans during the game itself and at halftime. There is going to be, of course, someone who will be skydiving into the stadium with a Purple Heart as the parachute. So there will be recognition throughout the day for our veterans. Q. How long has this been in the works? PETE NASCHAK: Since early this summer, late spring, early summer. Q. It says two of the 400 men that are coming are the fathers of Kliff and Tubby? PETE NASCHAK: That's correct. Kliff and Tubby Smith. BLAYNE BEAL: I'd like to introduce Michael McBride. Mike is the Senior Manager of Sports Marketing for Under Armour, and he's going to discuss Under Armour's role in this game, and when he is done we'll open the floor for questions. MICHAEL McBRIDE: I've got to admit I'm a little more used to speaking to athletes and coaches where the energy level is a little bit more evident. I'm sure you're very, very excited as Under Armour is. We have a history of partnering with great people, and that's what Texas Tech University is and we're very proud of that relationship with Texas Tech Athletics, and also our partnership with Lone Survivor Foundation. When you have great people, great things can be accomplished. So I'm here representing Under Armour, and I'm very pleased and honored to announce that we have teamed up with Texas Tech University and Lone Survivor Foundation to create awareness and celebrate the successes of the foundation that Texas Tech has had. On November 9, the Red Raiders will take the field in custom designed Under Armour gray and red uniforms, cleats, gloves and helmets featuring various aspects of the Lone Survivor Foundation, including the No. 19, honoring the 19 service members who lost their lives during the Operation Redwings and other aspects. I could go on speaking a little bit about our partnership with Lone Survivor Foundation and Texas Tech University, but I really believe most of you in this room are excited to see what's behind the cape. Here's the uniform that Texas Tech program will be wearing November 9 against Kansas State. You'll notice that the helmet has the red wings representing the operation name of Lone Survivor from the Lone Survivor Operation Redwings. "Never quit" print throughout the helmet. You'll find that the same motto, never quit throughout the shoulders of the uniform, along with the wings represented there throughout the uniform. 19, representing the 19 fallen service members, and throughout the uniform, various aspects of it. Q. When you guys get together, the foundation and Texas Tech, do you guys put together a grand scheme of how you guys want it to look or is there someone who masterminds the plan? MICHAEL McBRIDE: That's a great question. Under Armour is a very collaborative organization, so we sit down with our various partners. This example, Texas Tech University and athletics, Kirby, Kliff, and various other members of the administration, and we discuss what the overall goals and plan would be. We bring in partners like Lone Survivor Foundation that make sense and always connecting the dots between the various aspects of our groups. So, yes, it's a very collaborative effort. We sit down, what is the end result? Where are our goals? Then we sketch out a plan where all parties are happy with. Q. When you guys do come up with that collaborative effort, is it you want it to all look good, but you want the kids to come out and feel like, hey, these are sweet? MICHAEL McBRIDE: Sure, there is also a big part of that from the football side where there is a message. It's something that we take great pride in. Every uniform we create there is always a message that directly connects back to the university, and in this sense, the Lone Survivor Foundation as well. So the cool factor is part of it. But it is also the message that it delivers. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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