Sergeant First Class Rommel Fuentes has been a Spurs fan his whole life, but he didn’t get a chance to see the NBA Finals in 2003 or 2005.
“I was busy those years,” he said. “I was working in a combat support hospital in Iraq. We couldn’t really schedule around the Spurs games at that time.”
Fuentes, an El Paso native, has been in the Army for 19 years. He’s currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston, a few miles from the AT&T Center.
Although he missed a couple title runs with very good reason, the Spurs made it up to him last week.
As a Spurs thank you to the military, Fuentes was one of 50 military members who participated in a Spurs Training Camp. The camp, hosted by USAA and run by assistants James Borrego and Chad Forcier, put the service men and women through some of the drills the Spurs run in practice.
“It’s surreal,” Fuentes said. “People that I’ve been watching for years have put their feet on the same court that I’m standing on.”
The soldiers ran through full-court passing drills, practiced some free throws and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. With Borrego and Forcier putting in their full effort, the practice naturally ran a few minutes long. After practice, the soldiers were given a tour of the Spurs’ locker room and had a meet and greet with Boris Diaw.
“The men and women of our military do so much for us, so this is just a little way to give back, to give them an hour to feel what it’s like to be a Spur,” Borrego said. “This city is a Military City, and you feel that everywhere you go. The Spurs are a part of that and the link between the Spurs, the military, and this city is very strong. You feel the love we have for them, and the love they have for us.”
The servicemen and women will be at Wednesday’s Spurs game against Miami, which is Military Appreciation Night presented by USAA.
Leading up to the game, Danny Green also visited Lackland Air Force Base last week and became an Airman for a Day.
At the game, active military and veterans can save up to 40 percent off tickets. Two San Antonians also will be honored for their service during the game. Dick Cole, Congressional Gold Medal recipient and one of two surviving members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, will be presented with a custom Spurs jersey bearing No. 100, his current age. Air Force Para-Rescue Jumper Mike Maroney, who was part of a rescue mission during Hurricane Katrina, will also be honored.
Deployed troops watching the game from Afghanistan will be in attendance from afar as they are featured throughout the game on the AT&T Center’s main video board.
Vice Admiral John Bird, a Naval Academy graduate and USAA’s senior vice president of military affairs, said the Spurs’ nightly salute to service members has always held special meaning to him and other veterans. While David Robinson is nicknamed “The Admiral,” Vice Admiral Bird said he’s always been inspired by the genuine appreciation of the military he sees at Spurs games.
“Even saying thank you to a service member is a huge deal,” Bird said. “But when you go through a day like this and a military appreciation game, it’s an all-time high for these service members.”
lchan@attcenter.com
Twitter:@lornechan