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Army Sgt. Brian Bird and his family are guests of the Packers and Festival Foods at Sunday's game vs. the San Diego Chargers for 'Operation Fan Mail.'
Bird, a resident of Greenfield, Wis., has been serving in the Army for two-and-a-half years and his most recent deployment has been in Baghdad, Iraq, with the 1st Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, HHC. Bird serves as a Signal Support Systems Specialist, as well as a lead convoy driver.
He will return to Baghdad Oct. 6 to continue supporting "Operation Iraqi Freedom" until May 2008. Brian will be accompanied today by his wife, Bonita, mother, Melody Berlin, and other members of his family.
New this season, 'Operation Fan Mail' is a program in which the Green Bay Packers and Festival Foods recognize a military family at each home game.
To choose families, the Packers and Festival Foods are asking interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family 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 online.
Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty away from home. 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, a $100 gift certificate to Festival Foods and a care package from the Packers and Festival Foods.
Another feature of the program invites the public to write letters of the support to the troops. The letters can be dropped off at any Festival Foods location and then will be sent to members of the military on active duty.