The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Insurance paid special tribute to Technical Sergeant Andrew Lomeli and Staff Sergeant Kelly Bergelin-Lomeli during Sunday’s Packers-Raiders game for ‘Operation Fan Mail.’Bergelin-Lomeli, a Green Bay native, serves the U.S. Air Force as a Medical Material Craftsman. Her responsibilities include providing medical supplies and equipment to take care of patients in any Medical Treatment Facility worldwide. Lomeli, a Colton, Calif. native, is also an Active Duty member of the U.S. Air Force. He is currently serving as an Instructor for the Initial Contingency Response Team at the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright Patterson AFB Ohio.
Combined, the couple has been awarded six Air Force Achievement Medals, four Air Force Commendation Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Small Arms Expert Marksman Medal.
The couple has completed two tours in Iraq, and Bergelin-Lomeli has been selected to deploy to Afghanistan in the summer of 2012 due to a recent promotion.
The family was accompanied by Kelly’s father Tom Bergelin, and by friend and fellow serviceman, Staff Sergeant Samuel Hernandez.
Operation Fan Mail, which debuted in 2007, is designed to recognize families with a member who is on active duty. The Packers and WPS Health Insurance will host a family at each 2011 home game and recognize them on the field during pregame activities. More than 38 families have been recognized during the past four-plus seasons.
To choose families, the Packers and WPS Health Insurance are asking interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular fan should be saluted. Essays can be sent to: Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628. Essays also can be submitted to the Packers online at http://nfl.packers.com/gameday/gameday_promotions/operation_fan_mail.
Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty. The family member can be a mother, father, son, daughter or sibling.
In addition to being recognized on-field prior to the game, selected families will receive four tickets to the game and a care package from WPS.
