Wolves Honor Military Heroes
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| Three Purple Heart recipients acknowledge the Target Center crowd on Saturday Night. Adam Sapinski, left, was the recipient of a grant from the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund. |
Before the tip, several Minnesota National Guard members bared a large American flag, a video montage displayed soldiers returning home and the Target Center jumbotron showed a Brooklyn Center man currently deployed in Iraq, a familiar site for many of the returning servicemen and women.
One presentation received particular attention on Saturday night: Three Purple Heart recipients were honored for their dedication and commitment at halfcourt during a timeout. A Purple Heart is awarded to any military member that had been wounded or killed in the line of duty.
In addition, the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation gave a $10,000 grant to Camp Noah's "A Soldier's Coming Home" program, which aims at reuniting children with parents who are returning home after overseas deployment.
Purple Heart recipient Adam Sapinski was at Target Center Saturday and received a suite to the game, an autographed basketball and a grant from the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund for an undisclosed amount. "I heard about it through the grapevine," Sapinski said. "I logged onto the website and applied for it. For me, being a Purple Heart Recipient, I had to submit my Purple Heart paperwork along with all the requirements and I received the additional money."
Military vets were welcomed with a standing ovation on numberous occassions throughout the evening. According to Sapinski, being in the limelight at Target Center said a lot about the commitment to honoring our military.
"It's absolutely great," said Sapinski. "To be honest, I didn't know about it, before I applied for this grant. They told me about the Timberwolves and a dinner they are having tomorrow night. It amazes me that a professional organization would do such a thing."
During timeouts, Timberwolves coaches and players took time to show their appreciation to the local heroes.
"We can't get enough of it," Sapinski said. "Ever since we've been back, we get a lot of support from a lot of people. You can't hear it enough." Like many other military personnel, Sapinski is a basketball fan.
"It's a rebuilding year," he said. "I was a huge KG fan, and I was sad to hear that he went away."
Life, however, is about more than a basketball game.
"This means the world. As bad as it is over there, to come back here and have the support of families and other people and people you have never met, it's just overwhelming."
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