BUIES CREEK – Soldiers rappelling from a Black Hawk helicopter to the 50-yard line to deliver the game ball will be just one of the military-themed highlights of Saturday’s football home opener at Barker-Lane Stadium.Campbell will celebrate Military Appreciation Day on Sept. 10, when the Camels host Apprentice at 1 p.m., and the University’s ROTC program will join soldiers from Fort Bragg to help honor the country’s armed forces on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The will begin at 8 a.m. when a group of area JROTC cadets will ask questions to a panel consisting of Campbell Military Science Professor Lt. Col. Michael Marson and Battalion Commander Lt. Col. John Myers, in addition to several other cadets. Music at Saturday’s game will be provided by the 82nd Airborne Marching Band, and Campbell’s team will enter the field by running through a tunnel of cadets all dressed in combat fatigues. At halftime, around 50 cadets will stand in formation on the field to swear their oaths at a special military contracting ceremony, which will be followed by the JROTC conducting drills and ceremonies. Some details are still in the works, according to Campbell Battalion 1st Lt. Robert F. Kelly, who hopes to have a complete schedule of events by Thursday.
Military to be honored at football home opener