The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Insurance paid special tribute to U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corps Commander Eric Peterson and his family during Sunday's Packers-Cowboys game for 'Operation Fan Mail.'
Peterson, who is originally from West Fargo, N.D., now lives in Appleton, Wis., and serves as a commander in the nurse corps of the U.S. Navy Reserve.
In his years in the Reserve, he has been mobilized three times, the first of which was to the San Diego Medical Center in 2006 for one year.
For his next two mobilizations, he was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, once in 2009 for 13 months and again in 2013 for 10 months. While in Kandahar, Peterson worked at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit and served as a trauma nurse and en route care nurse with the medical evacuation unit.
He has received several awards, including a Meritorious Service Medal and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two Gold Stars, among various other unit and deployment medals and ribbons.
He attended Sunday's game with his wife of 22 years, Jodi, and their son, Alex, and daughter, Jenna.
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 2014 home game and recognize them on the field during pregame activities. A total of 74 families have been recognized through the program thus far.
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 packers.com/gameday/gamedaypromotions/operationfanmail.
In addition to being recognized on-field prior to the game, selected families receive four tickets to the game and a care package from WPS.
Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter or sibling.
