Fort Worth, Texas, August 17, 2010 – The 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be played at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas as Amon G. Carter Stadium recently announced plans for renovation. 

The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be televised live from Ford Stadium at 11 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 30, on ESPN. The eighth edition of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl marks the first time in the bowl’s history that the game will be played somewhere other than Fort Worth’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, located on TCU’s campus. The change in venue is arranged for one year due to renovation plans for Amon G. Carter stadium, which are set to take place immediately following the Horned Frogs’ regular-season schedule this fall. 

“Fort Worth certainly remains the home of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and we are excited about the enhancements in store for Amon G. Carter Stadium,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “In the mean time, we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our bowl in Dallas to those fans who may not have had a chance to experience our game before, and we truly appreciate SMU and its athletic department for providing a quality venue for our bowl game.”

The decision to vacate Amon G. Carter Stadium for the 2010 game was mutually agreed upon by TCU representatives and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The bowl then reached an agreement with SMU to hold the 2010 postseason bowl game at Ford Stadium.

“We are very excited to serve as the host of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl this December and help our friends at TCU and in Fort Worth,” said Steve Orsini, SMU’s director of athletics. “The patriotism that this game represents is something with which we are proud to be associated, and we are more than happy to host this game in our great stadium on our beautiful campus right in the heart of Dallas.”

While the game itself will change locations for the year, bowl week activities and team hotels for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will remain in Fort Worth. TCU expects to play its 2011 regular season at Amon G. Carter, with plans for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl to return for the 2011 postseason.

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. In 2009, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accepted the GAPA at half-time on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces. Previous recipients include General David H. Petraeus, Preston “Pete” Geren and Gordon England.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006 as the title sponsor of the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005).  2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game twice. The current agreement was signed September 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Ticket information for the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be released in the next few weeks and can be obtained at www.ArmedForcesBowl.com. Military veterans receive discounted tickets and active-duty personnel receive free admittance via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program.

 Fort Worth, Texas, June 22, 2010 – The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is pleased to announce the addition of six new members to its 2010 Executive Council.

The Executive Council, led by Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl executive director Brant B. Ringler and council co-chairs John Roach and Bill Thornton, consists of 39 diverse men and women from across the country who collectively provide leadership and direction to the bowl game and its operations. This year’s new members include Lance Barrow (CBS), Jim Darwin (Texas Veterans Land Board), Joseph Faust (BNSF Railway), Bryan Warren (Bell Helicopter), Andrew Yanez (Concussion, LLP) and, serving in an ex-officio role, Captain T.D. Smyers (NAS Fort Worth JRB). 

“We are very excited to bring these six individuals on board,” said Ringler. “The leadership and expertise each delivers certainly enhances the prestige of our Executive Council, and we are thankful they have agreed to serve as ambassadors of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl going forward.”

The 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Executive Council includes the following:

John Roach – Co-Chair
Bill Thornton – Co-Chair
Larry Auth
Ross Bailey
 Michael Barber
 Lance Barrow*
 Bob Bolen
 Kim Brimer
 Johnny Campbell
 Brian Conway
 Jim Darwin*
 Barton Davis
 Pete Derzis
 Colonel Tom Dials
 David DuBois
 Joseph Faust*
 Mike Flynn
 Paul Galvan
 Jim Gross
 Craig Harbuck
 Dennis Holland
 Kip Hyde
 Joanne Ingle
 Devoyd Jennings
 Malcolm Louden
 Scott Murray
 Rosa Navejar
 Ken Nicholson
 Susan Nix
 Clint Overby
 Alex Powers
 John Pritchett
 Lisa Rettew
 P.D. Shabay
 Jake Smith
 Captain T.D. Smyers* (ex-officio)
 Gary Terry
 Bryan Warren*
 Andrew Yanez*
 * denotes new member for 2010
 

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be televised live at 11 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 30, on ESPN. The bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. In 2009, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accepted the GAPA at half-time on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces. Previous recipients include General David H. Petraeus, Preston “Pete” Geren and Gordon England.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006 as the title sponsor of the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005).  2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game twice. The current agreement was signed September 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Ticket information for the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be released later this summer and can be obtained by calling the bowl office at 817/810-0012. Military veterans receive discounted tickets and active-duty personnel receive free admittance via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, April 26, 2010 – The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is set to kick off the eighth edition of the postseason college football bowl game Thursday, Dec. 30, at 11 a.m. CST. 

This marks the first time in the bowl’s history that the game will be played on Dec. 30, as the game has been played on Dec. 31 for the previous three years. Before joining the New Year’s Eve schedule in 2007, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was played before Christmas, on Dec. 23.
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be nationally televised live on ESPN. This year’s matchup is slated to feature schools from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.

“We are pleased to be kicking off on Dec. 30,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “We look forward to delivering a great bowl week so that everyone involved enjoys their experience, and we have some exciting things in store this year to make our game ‘More Than a Bowl Game’.”

This season would mark the seventh appearance for one of C-USA’s 12 institutions in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The conference has a 2-4 bowl record at Amon G. Carter Stadium, including Cincinnati’s 2004 win over Marshall and Houston’s win over Air Force in 2008. The nine-school MWC is 2-2, as Utah beat Tulsa in the conference’s first appearance in 2006 and Air Force defeated Houston in 2009. Other conferences that have played in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl comprise the Pac-10, Big 12, Mid-American and Western Athletic conferences.

In the event that either C-USA or the MWC completes the regular season with an open spot amongst its contractual bowl commitments, the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will feature the United States Military Academy per a recent agreement between the bowl and the Academy. Should the open spot materialize for either conference, the Black Knights must have six wins before their annual game with Navy in order to be bowl eligible.

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. In 2009, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accepted the GAPA at half-time on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces. Previous recipients include General David H. Patraeus, Preston “Pete” Geren and Gordon England.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006, as the title sponsor of the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005).  2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has twice exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game. The current agreement was signed in September 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Ticket information for the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be released later this month and can be obtained by calling the bowl office at 817/810-0012. Military veterans receive discounted tickets and active-duty personnel receive free admittance via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program.

Fort Worth, Texas, April 15, 2010 – The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has reached an agreement with the United States Military Academy, providing the Black Knights a chance to play in the 2010 post-season bowl game. Army would join the company of other military institutions who have agreed to participate in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl with the United States Air Force Academy having participated in the past three games and the United States Naval Academy scheduled for the 2013 contest.

Army, which has a 2-2 record in post-season bowl games with appearances in the 1984 Cherry Bowl, 1985 Peach Bowl, 1988 Sun Bowl and 1996 Independence Bowl games, now has the opportunity to earn a berth in the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The bowl is currently slated to feature a team from Conference USA (C-USA) opposing a club from the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Should either conference have an opening amongst its lineup of contractual bowl agreements at the end of the 2010 regular season, Army would then have the opportunity to compete in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, if bowl eligible.

“We are very excited to announce this agreement with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl,” said Army director of athletics Kevin Anderson. “Brant Ringler and his staff have quickly grown this game into one of the premier post-season events annually. We couldn’t be more supportive of the ideals of this bowl and hope to represent our servicemen and servicewomen in the highest manner possible, both on the field and off. The Army football program and West Point as a whole boasts a vast and loyal fan base in Texas and the surrounding states. I would expect our fans and graduates to show up in droves to support their team in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.”

If the open bowl berth for either C-USA and/or the MWC materializes, the Black Knights must have six wins prior to their annual game with Navy (Dec. 11, 2010) in order to secure their spot. The 2010 Army schedule features home games with Hawai’i, Temple, Air Force, Yale and North Texas State. Cadet road games will be at Eastern Michigan, Rutgers, Kent State, Duke, Northwestern and Louisiana Tech with neutral site contests against Notre Dame and Navy.

“We are extremely pleased to have positioned our bowl to host the United States Military Academy in our 2010 game,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “Having our nation’s military academies participate is natural for our bowl and is extremely popular with our fans, as was proven the past three years with sellouts featuring the U.S. Air Force Academy.”

Bell Helicopter president and chief executive officer, John L. Garrison, echoed the enthusiasm of possibly adding the Black Knights to the mix, “We’re thrilled at the potential to see West Point compete in this year’s bowl,” said Garrison. “We look forward to the opportunity to welcome the Black Knights and their many fans to their first appearance at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.”

The Black Knights of the Hudson fell one game short of bowl eligibility in 2009 under first-year coach Richard Ellerson. Army won the 1944 and 1945 national championships under Earl Blaik and featured 37 consensus All-Americans and three Heisman Trophy winners, including Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946) and Pete Dawkins (1958).

Army has played 18 football games in the state of Texas, including the 1988 Sun Bowl where the Black Knights dropped a 29-28 decision to Alabama in El Paso. The Cadets are 7-11 for games played in the “Lone Star” state and have a 3-3 record in the metroplex with two wins at North Texas, a victory at SMU and three setbacks to TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. In 2009, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accepted the GAPA at half-time on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces. Previous recipients include General David H. Patraeus, Preston “Pete” Geren and Gordon England.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006 as the title sponsor of the post-season college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005).  2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game twice. The current agreement was signed September 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Ticket information for the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be released later this month and can be obtained by calling the bowl office at 817/810-0012. Military veterans receive discounted tickets and active-duty personnel receive free admittance via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, April 13, 2010 – Concussion, the official marketing and advertising firm of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, won thirteen District ADDY Awards from the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Concussion will be formally presented with their ADDY Awards at the AAF District Ten awards presentation on Friday, April 16, in Amarillo, Texas.

Among others, Concussion’s ADDY accolades include two silver awards for pieces produced for the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – the bowl’s VIP kit as well as its “More Than a Bowl Game” marketing campaign. These two pieces will now be judged at the national level amongst some of the top marketing and advertising collateral in the country. Concussion also received a special judges’ award at the local level for the “More Than a Bowl Game” campaign.

“We are tremendously fortunate to have the talent at Concussion working to promote our bowl,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces. “The ‘More Than a Bowl Game’ campaign has become an integral part of our promotions over the past year and we look forward to continuing to build on that going forward.” 

Based in Fort Worth, Concussion has served as the official marketing and advertising firm of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl since 2006. The firm also is recognized as one of the bowl’s corporate partners. The “More Than a Bowl Game” campaign focuses on highlighting the military component of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in addition to the postseason bowl game itself. Concussion has worked with the bowl staff to develop a variety of pieces utilizing the “More Than a Bowl Game” theme including television and radio commercials, highway billboards, print and online advertisements, posters, cross-promotional items and many others. 

“It is a privilege to partner with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and help recognize the members of our military. The campaign we created is a result of our strong conviction in what the military does for our country. We believe they deserve the best and according to industry experts, that’s what Concussion delivered,” said Andrew Yañez, chief creative officer/partner at Concussion.

Concussion’s thirteen District ADDY awards followed recognition at the local level in Fort Worth, during which time Concussion took home 16 gold, 34 silver and 32 bronze ADDYs. Concussion is a part of AAF’s District Ten, consisting of AAF chapters in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Each chapter hosts an ADDY competition at the local level. Gold and Silver ADDY recipients are eligible to compete in the District level competition. Gold ADDY recipients at the District level are automatically forwarded on to compete in the AAF’s National ADDY competition.

Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance. In 2009, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accepted the GAPA at half-time on behalf of the men and women of the armed forces. Previous recipients include General David H. Patraeus, Preston “Pete” Geren and Gordon England.

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006 as the title sponsor of the post-season college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005).  2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game twice. The current agreement was signed September 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 1011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Ticket information for the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will be released later this month and can be obtained by calling the bowl office at 817/810-0012. Military veterans receive discounted tickets and active-duty personnel receive free admittance via the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl corporate military ticket underwriting program.

Concussion High Impact Communications is a full-service advertising, marketing and public relations firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. The agency has more than 55 professional staff members and bills approximately $23 million annually. Concussion handles a client list that includes casinos, commercial and residential real estate development, energy and natural gas, and consumer packaged goods.  For more information, visit www.concussion.net.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership – The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC). ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Texas Bowl (Houston); the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); Cancun Governor’s Cup; Charleston Classic (S.C.); DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational; Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); SONIC All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and BracketBusters; as well as the new ESPNU Warrior Classic (Lacrosse, April 2010); ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.

Bell Helicopter-Textron is an American manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft with its headquarters in Fort Worth. Bell Helicopter provides the United States Armed Forces with the world’s best military helicopters, including the V-22 Osprey, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters. A sister company, Textron Systems, produces the new M1117 Armored Security Vehicle, which is designed for speed and for deflecting rocket-propelled grenades and land mines.

The funds raised will be used to create and send care packages to men and women serving overseas in active military duty through Give 2 The Troops, a nonprofit organization.

 “The event attracted a large crowd, including families of some of the soldiers who participated. One of the spectators even got the opportunity to challenge her daughter, who was among the soldiers competing,” said Lori Simmons, director of marketing and public relations, AFI. “It was uplifting to witness this unique family reunion while raising funds for care packages.”

The battle, which took place at the AFI booth in the Bowl’s Armed Forces Adventure Area on December 30, featured Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Ally Traylor, Kelsi Reich, Sunni Cranfill, Sydney Durso, Tia Williams and Trisha Trevino against active duty soldiers serving overseas in Qatar. Families of competing soldiers enjoyed reserved seating in the booth.

This is the second year AFI has served as the title partner for the Armed Forces Adventure Area, a festival designed specifically to celebrate military service. The Guitar Hero Challenge was administered by Pro vs. GI Joe, a nonprofit organization that provides troops serving all over the world with opportunities to take on professional athletes or celebrities in heated head-to-head video game competitions—both online and in person.

“Over the last few years, we’ve brought the best professional athletes to our troops stationed around the world. Having the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders battle it out in Guitar Hero tops them all, and I’ll bet the soldiers will back me up on that one,” said Greg Zinone, co-founder with his wife Addie of Pro V. GI Joe. “Addie and I are grateful to AFI for their support, and we look forward to working with them again to continue making exciting things happen for our troops.”

About Armed Forces Insurance
AFI was founded in 1887 by military leaders with a single mission: to protect the people who protect our nation. The company provides premium quality, competitively-priced property and casualty insurance to military professionals throughout the United States and overseas. Headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, AFI understands that military members have unique circumstances and insurance needs, enabling the company to offer a level of personalized service that’s unequaled in the industry. For more information, visit the Web site at afi.org or call 1-800-495-8234.

About the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), was televised live from Amon G. Carter Stadium on Thursday, December 31, at 11:00 a.m. (CST) on ESPN. The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl featured the University of Houston v. the United States Air Force Academy. The victory went to the Air Force with a final score of 47-20. For more information, visit www.ArmedForcesBowl.com.

About the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
First recognized by their iconic name in 1972, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders—a select group of 35 young American women who are selected each year by audition in the spring—perform precision dance routines at the Dallas Cowboys football games, as well as many charity performances, national television appearances, sponsored autograph sessions, cheer and dance camps for children, and other public appearances. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also entertain U.S. military troops throughout the world on USO Tours.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3502534.htm

Fort Worth, Texas, January 8, 2009 – With the 20 days of bowl competition for 34 post-season college football games at 30 sites in two countries concluding Thursday, here are notes associated with the action highlighting the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl facts and figures.

 The post-season was played in 14 states and the District of Columbia with Texas tying California for the second-most games (five) behind Florida (six).  Five Texas cities (Arlington, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio) hosted post-season games to match Florida’s five (Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tampa).  California’s five games were held at three sites (Pasadena, San Diego and San Francisco).

pdfCharting the 2009 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

pdf20092010BowlResultsJanuary734games

PDF2010BHAFBPressBooklet

FORT WORTH, Texas

“The Marine equipment is tremendously instrumental at the Adventure Zone,” said Brant Ringler, the executive director of this seventh annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.  “It lets families come out and see what the military is all about.  When people meet the Marines and see, feel and touch the equipment they get a better idea of what it is all about, what our service members do.”

The Marines showcased their military hardware at the Adventure Zone, where  troops from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces set up interactive exhibits across the street from the TCU stadium.

Marine Forces Reserve displays included small arms such as rifles and machine guns, as well as a 155mm Howitzer and a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System from the 14th Marine Regiment.

“This gives the Marines a good chance to get out of their comfort zone; instead of just performing maintenance and shooting these weapons, they are here to explain their capabilities in detail, and talk about what we do in the Marine Corps,” said Sgt. Derek Knight, a howitzer section chief with Battery O, 5th Battalion, 14th Marines.  “This is a great educational experience for everyone.”

Many parents throughout the region brought their children to the Adventure Zone for this learning opportunity during this winter school break. 

“He’s never been around the military much, and he’s amazed by the technology and the Marines and soldiers displaying it,” said Phil Sulak of Rosenberg, Texas, who brought his 11-year-old son.  “His grandfather fought with the Marines in the Pacific during World War II, so it’s great for him to meet the Marines here today.” 

Marine Corps veteran Nick Cariotis, who served two tours in Vietnam with Lt. Col. Paul X. Kelley’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment between 1965-1968, was in his element at the Adventure Zone Dec. 30.  Now the assistant district attorney for Dallas County, this was the seventh year in a row Cariotis has attended the Armed Forces Bowl festivities. 

“This is what the Marine Corps is all about, these young Marines out here ….  These guys are our spokesmen.  They are why we have such a strong relationship with the public.  They are why America loves its Marine Corps,” said Cariotis of the Marines in uniform on-site.  “There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.  I walk around with this hat on, and all day long people look at me, smile, and say ‘Semper Fi!’”

Pilots from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, a reserve unit based in Belle Chasse, La., impressed visitors with the AH-1W Cobras, which they flew onto the TCU campus as part of the Adventure Zone Dec. 30. 

The Cobra pilots and crew explained the helicopter’s capabilities to spectators as children got the opportunity to explore the inside of the aircraft. 

“This is the perfect marriage between the military and the community,” said Gunnery Sgt. Bobby Adkins, who served in the Corps for 20 years as an air frames and hydraulic systems mechanic and retired in 2004, settling down in Fort Worth to work for an electronics repair company.  “It’s great for these folks to come here and meet the reservists and understand what they do.  The only thing that most Americans know about the military is what they see on TV.  This is more real.”

The Marine displays also included a remote landing site transportable air
traffic control tower from Air Traffic Control Detachment A, Marine Air Control Squadron 24.  This high-tech piece of gear is used in expeditionary airfields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Marines who operate and maintain this equipment must have the requisite skills and training.

“The best part of this is that the public can see the kind of bright young Marines we have today,” said Master Sgt. James John, the staff non-commissioned officer in charge of Detachment A.  “Many people think that all we do as Marines is carry guns and shoot at the enemy.  These guys are highly skilled as operators and technicians.  It’s important that the public sees that.”

Just prior to game time on Dec. 31, the Marines put away their gear and headed across the street to the crowded TCU stadium to watch the football game. 

Thousands of Marines and fellow service members braved the frigid weather, cheering for the Air Force Academy, who upset the University of Houston by a score of 47-20.  This was good news for Air Force fans, who saw their team defeated by the Cougars last year.

“It’s great having the Marines out here,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Cox, the commandant of cadets at the Academy.  “Out here with the Air Force and all the other services, this is representative of the joint nature of our forces today.  It’s important that the American public sees this.”