Army LTC. Keith Krueger, his wife, Army LTC. Mary Krueger, and their family were recognized by the Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Insurance at today's game vs. the Minnesota Vikings for 'Operation Fan Mail.'
Keith, a Wausau, Wis., native, enlisted in the Army in 1986 as a high school senior and now is in his 23rd year of service, including his 18th year of commissioned service. He currently is the Army Engineer for NORAD and US NORTHERN Command, which is located in Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He recently returned from his third combat tour, which was with Multi-National Corps Iraq as the Chief of Engineer Operations. This 13-month tour was on the heels of a tour with Special Forces in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of numerous decorations, including the Bronze Star. A Packers fan, Keith holds all his badges with a Packers lanyard and has a collection of Packers bobble-head dolls on his desk.
Mary, a physician, is now in her 14th year of active service and serves at Surgeon for the 4th Infantry Division which is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and includes 20,000 troops and their families. Her combat tour to Afghanistan as a physician in 2003 with Special Operations Forces was groundbreaking and began a series of high profile missions in the United States and abroad. She is scheduled to deploy back to Iraq for a year with the 4th Infantry Division in the summer of 2010. She also is the recipient of numerous decorations, including the Bronze Star, and serves as the president of Uniformed Academy of Family Practice.
The Kruegers were joined at the game by their sons, Konner and Keegan.
Now in its third season at Lambeau Field, Operation Fan Mail this year is a partnership between the Packers and WPS Health Insurance. Designed to recognize families with a member who is on active duty, the Packers and WPS Health Insurance will host a family at each 2009 home game and introduce them on the field during pregame activities.
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 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 via Packers.com at www.packers.com/gameday/gamedaypromotions/operationfan_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.
