The last time Tommy McCabe was on a military base, it was for soccer tournaments in New Jersey.
His most recent visit to a base was soccer-related, too, but this trip wasn’t to play, it was to thank members of the military and their families for their service.
McCabe and Frankie Amaya visited Wright-Patterson Airforce Base outside Dayton on Thursday afternoon to meet members of the military.
“It’s cool to be on the base and see their daily lives,” McCabe said. “It’s cool to get the opportunity to thank them for their service because it’s very important for our country.”
The two MLS rookies met families on the base, and took photos and signed autographs with visitors. One fan was a young small kid named Eric, came along with his mom for photos to send to Eric’s dad, who’s stationed in the United Arab Emirates.
They also signed posters to members of the Australian military who work alongside Eric’s dad.
“It’s a really good experience to see the people and talk to them about how their journey is going and how cool it is to be in the Armed Forces,” Amaya said. “It’s just something different to experience what they’ve been through and it’s nice hearing from them.”
Amaya and McCabe visited the base as part of FC Cincinnati’s “Salute to Service” initiative, which has seen players visit first responders and military personnel around Greater Cincinnati.
While the two midfielders were the first to visit members of the military, other players went to places such as a Cincinnati Fire Department station, the Covington Police Department and the National Night Out event for Milford and Miami Township.
The two-week Salute to Service initiative concludes Saturday night when FC Cincinnati host New York City FC at Nippert Stadium in the “Salute to Service” match.
During the game, the Orange and Blue will wear their blue primary jerseys with camouflage numbers. Before kickoff, the players will warm up in camouflage training tops.
