USAA hosted 200 military guests along with Buccaneers players and cheerleaders at the Special Operations Memorial at MacDill Air Force Base for a lunch and meet and greet with members of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
Yesterday (Tuesday, Nov. 3), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USAA, the Official Salute to Service Sponsor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hosted a military appreciation luncheon at MacDill Air Force Base for more than 200 members of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Buccaneers kicker Connor Barth, long snapper Andrew DePaola, tight end Brandon Myers, offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile, punter Jacob Schum, center Evan Smith, defensive tackle Akeem Spence, safety Keith Tandy, and Buccaneers Cheerleaders were on hand to greet the military members as a thank you for their service.
"Coming out here and giving back to MacDill Air Force Base, seeing these people and being able to shake everyone's hand, giving them an autograph and having them say, 'We appreciate you,' it's really more of an honor for me to come out here and do this for them," said Smith
During the lunch, the group received a special welcome from General Joseph L. Votel, Commander, USSOCOM. Fox Sports media personality Jay Glazer was also in attendance to greet troops, in conjunction with USAA's Salute to Service Week efforts.
"This is about salute to service and military appreciation, so here in Tampa where the Buccaneers are so well loved and our military is so well loved, this makes this the perfect market to want to appreciate our military," said Yvette Segura, General Manager, USAA – Tampa. "The players seemed awfully humbled being in the presence of the military. It was clear they just have a mutual love and respect for each other."
This was the fourth consecutive year that the Buccaneers and USAA have teamed up to host a luncheon for servicemen and servicewomen in the Bay Area. In 2012, the Buccaneers announced the addition of USAA, a leading insurance provider to the military community, as the "Official Salute to Service Sponsor" for the team. USAA has continued to join forces with the Buccaneers through military appreciation activities in Tampa Bay. These efforts will be highlighted through a variety of events and initiatives on Sunday, November 8, when the Buccaneers host the New York Giants at Raymond James Stadium for the Buccaneers' Salute to Service game, presented by USAA.
For more information on the Buccaneers' Salute to Service initiatives, visit **HERE**.
