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Gonzaga College High School Eagles - STRIKE FORCE Runs for Warriors

Proceeds benefit Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Completed

Based on 38 runs, each worth $101.18

Ended
26 pledgers

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Our team is scoring runs in April to support children and families of fallen special operations warriors!

In support of children and families of fallen special operations warriors, our team is participating in the 2017 STRIKE FORCE: Runs for Warriors competition! We are dedicating selected games during the month of April to elevate awareness of the service and sacrifice of America’s special operations community, and raise funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF).

Our team signed on to STRIKE FORCE: Runs for Warriors because we recognize the freedom to play America’s pastime is made possible by those serving in our Armed Forces, including those serving in elite units such as the Navy SEALs, Army special forces (Green Berets) and Rangers and Night Stalker aviators, Air Force combat controllers and pararescuemen, and Marine Raiders. Since 1980, over 1,000 special operations heroes have died in the line of duty, many of whom left behind loved ones, including over 1,100 children.

As the competition unfolds, we will also remember Gonzaga Eagles who sacrificed their lives so that we might live free, including Erik S. Kristensen and Humbert Roque “Rocky” Versace, both of whom served with honor in America’s special operations forces units as described below.

Erik S. Kristensen

Erik Kristensen was born on the Ides of March, March 15, 1972, at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. A member of Gonzaga’s Class of 1990, he attended one year of prep school at Phillips Academy in Andover before entering the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1991, and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy on May 31, 1995. After completing the Surface Warfare Officers School Division Officer Course at Newport, Rhode Island, LtJg Kristensen served as ordnance control officer, fire control officer, and main propulsion division officer aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Chandler (DDG-996) from January 1996 to January 1998. His next assignment was as Officer in Charge of Rigid Inflatable Boat Detachment India with Special Boat Team 12 at NAB Coronado, California, from February 1998 to August 1999, followed by service as an instructor in the Department of English at the U.S. Naval Academy from August 1999 to August 2000. LT Kristensen next completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, Jump School, and SEAL Qualification Training before serving with SEAL Team EIGHT and then as Officer in Charge of Alpha Platoon with SEAL Team TEN at NAB Little Creek, Virginia, from April 2001 to March 2005. LCDR Kristensen’s final assignment was as Task Unit Commander of SEAL Team TEN deployed to Afghanistan from March 2005 until he was killed in action during Operation Red Wings when the MH-47 Chinook helicopter he was aboard was shot down by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade on June 28, 2005. He was buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland. Among LCDR Kristensen’s military decorations are the following: Bronze Star with Valor device, Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2), Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal (2), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Ribbons (2), Navy Rifle Marksmanship Medal, and Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal. Bio courtesy of Veteran Tributes.

A Literary Life Taken Too Soon (March 17, 2017)

Brush of Honor: Erik Kristensen (October 31, 2016)

John Ismay Remembers Erik Kristensen, Gonzaga Father-Son Breakfast (May 5, 2014)

Erik Kristensen: A Man for All Seasons

Humbert R. “Rocky” Versace

Rocky Versace was born on July 2, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Gonzaga his freshman and sophomore years before graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1955, and graduated with a commission as a 2LT of Armor on June 3, 1959. Versace attended the Armor Officer Basic Course from August to October 1959, and then Ranger School from October to December 1959. He served as a Medium Tank Platoon Leader with the 3rd Battalion, 40th Armor, in South Korea from March 1960 to April 1961, and then as a Tank Platoon Leader with Headquarters 3rd Infantry at Fort Myer, Virginia, from May 1961 to December 1962. Lt Versace next completed the Military Assistance Institute Course, the Intelligence Course at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, and Language School before serving as an Intelligence Advisor to the Republic of Vietnam from May 1962 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War while serving with Advisory Team 70 on October 29, 1963. Capt Versace was held until September 26, 1965, when he was executed by the Viet Cong. His remains have never been returned. Among Capt. Versace’s military decorations are the following: Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, POW Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab, and Ranger Tab. Bio courtesy of Veteran Tributes.

Rocky Versace: The Bravest Man You Have Never Heard Of

Home of Heroes: Rocky Versace

Rocky Versace & Vietnam Memorial Dedication 2002


We invite our fans to join us in honoring the sacrifices of these warriors and helping those left to carry on by pledging a donation for every run we score during the month of April. With your generosity, our runs during this campaign will directly benefit SOWF, a top-rated nonprofit that supports family members of fallen warriors through college scholarships, family services, and other assistance.

Please consider pledging a donation for every run recorded during the month of April. You can also make a one-time flat donation.

Pledge or donate as much or as little as you wish, and know that whatever you contribute will make a big impact in the lives of the families of the fallen.

You can also support the program through the purchase of STRIKE FORCE gear by clicking here.


About STRIKE FORCE: Runs for Warriors

STRIKE FORCE: Runs for Warriors is a national program created in partnership between Operation Hawkeye, PLEDGE IT, American Baseball Coaches Association, and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This first-of-its-kind high school baseball program aims to unify teams across the country for a common cause: supporting children and families of fallen special operations warriors. Every run scored by participating teams during the month of April will directly benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Schedule

DateNamerunsEarned
4/1All Games from April 1-300-
4/1DeMatha0-
4/4Our Lady of Good Counsel2$202
4/6@St. John's2$202
4/8@Langley1$101
4/10Bishop O'Connell4$405
4/12Bishop Ireton6$607
4/13@Paul VI1$101
4/18@Ryken8$809
4/19@Our Lady of Good Counsel1$101
4/22@Landon0-
4/24Bishop McNamara8$809
4/25@DeMatha4$405
4/29St. John's1$101
Special Operations Warrior Foundation

This campaign benefits

Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Verified Charity

Ensures a fully funded education to the children of fallen special operators & immediate financial assistance to severely wounded personnel.

Contributions made to this campaign are tax-deductible.

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