A special “Warrior Wednesday”
“There’s no quit in this soldier. That is one of the greatest lessons war taught me, a lesson I see time and again among the thousands of our brave returning soldiers who face adversity and find the faith to grow strong in it.” — Colonel Gregory Gadson, US Army.
Followers of both our Twitter and Facebook pages know this is a regular feature. But this particular Warrior Wednesday photo and story was sent by Ben’s friend, Noah Galloway, a Warrior himself, and he asked that we share it on the site as well:
“Met with Colonel Gregory Gadson today. Colonel Gadson lost both his legs above the knee in 2007, is now the commander at Fort Belvoir, VA making him the Army’s first double amputee to command a major installation.
Colonel Gadson also has a role in the new film ‘Battleship‘.
It was truly an honor to meet such an accomplished hero. He is definitely deserving of the honor of being recognized here on a Warrior Wednesday!” — Noah Galloway
Colonel Gadson, a Chesapeake, VA native, played football for West Point between 1985 and 1988, wearing the number 98 jersey and serving as co-captain. He graduated in 1989, and holds Masters Degrees in Information Systems and Policy Management from Webster University. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Advanced Field Artillery Officers Course and in 2010, he became an Army War College Fellow at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.
He served in the U.S. Army for more than 20 years as a field artillery officer and served on active duty for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Joint Forge, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Colonel Gadson was commander of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery unit on May 7, 2007, when he lost both his legs and severely injured his right arm after the Humvee he was riding in ran over a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq while returning from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade.
“There were four M1151 armored Humvees in our convoy, each with five soldiers. I was riding shotgun in the third Humvee. And then it happened. We ran over an object on my side of the vehicle. An IED buried under […]
Join Ben, his family & friends
…in support of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation this summer!
“It’s no secret how much the kids mean to me. When someone has a wish and they want to spend it with the Steelers that touches you and is special. For us to be able to do this and be able to have six kids’ wishes come true is awesome. Being there to meet them, shake their hand, sign an autograph means a lot to me.” — Ben, on his support for Make-A-Wish®.
Ben will be hosting his Third Annual Ben Roethlisberger Foundation Fundraiser on June 22nd, at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale, PA.
Proceeds from the event will benefit K-9 Police and Fire Units throughout the country, and Make-A-Wish®.
This incredible evening will feature a strolling dinner, a live and silent auction, and the music of NightSong, which will have you dancing in no time!
A few of Ben’s teammates, including Brett Keisel, Heath Miller, James Harrison, and Charlie Batch stopped by to show their support last year, as did ESPN’s Merril Hoge. You never know who will show up this year!
“He brings a unique perspective because he grants wishes and he is good at that. He gets to make the wish happen. Now with the partnership with his foundation, he is taking it to the next level to allow other wishes to be granted. It’s an amazing thing.” — Leigh Ann Lubarsky, Manager of Program Services for Make-A-Wish, talking about Ben’s impact on the children.
Date: Sunday, June 22nd, 2014
Time: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Place: Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, 103 Slade Lane, Warrendale, PA
Ticket price: $200/per person
Attire: Casual and Comfortable
*Must be 21 years of age or older to attend!
You won’t want to miss it so purchase your tickets now!
You can see more great photos from last year’s event here.
How about a round of golf the following day?
You can join Ben once again, but this time on the golf course at the beautiful Treesdale Golf and Country Club in Gibsonia, PA on June 23rd for the Third Annual Ben Roethlisberger Foundation Invitational!
As with the event at Jergels on Sunday night, Monday’s tournament will benefit both Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation.
Since 2007, the […]
’twas not that long ago…
that Big Ben was a Big Hit on the Emerald Isle! No, no…we’re not talkin’ last summer! On his first trip, in June of 2012!
Ben and three of his close friends headed off to both Ireland and Scotland that summer to play some of the finest and most difficult golf courses you can find.
“It’s going to be awesome. Three days in Ireland and a week in Scotland … 12 rounds in 10 days. So we have a lot of golf to play at some of the best courses in the world.” — Ben, in an interview prior to his trip.
Well, it turned out to be awesome for quite a few fans too – Irish, Scottish and American fans not only met Ben during his trip, but shared their photos and stories right here with Steeler Nation!
And just in case you’re in the mood for trip down memory lane on a fine St. Patrick’s Day…
First stop, the airport!
Gina Huss met Ben on her way to Dublin:
There were 6 of us (all born and raised in Pittsburgh!) going on a trip to Europe where we would be visiting Ireland, Wales, England, and France.. For 2 of us, it was our senior trip! We had a layover in Atlanta and then would be flying from there into Dublin airport. So there we were just hanging out in the Atlanta airport when our adult chaperone came running over to us flailing her arms and freaking out because she just saw Big Ben with some friends at the nearby restaurant! Naturally all being from Pittsburgh, we approached him calmly and told him we were from Pittsburgh and wondered if we could take some pictures with him.
He was so nice and took pictures with all of us! He asked where we were going, and one of his friends even knew the school district we were from! It was very cool to also find out that he was going to be on our flight to Dublin and that he was going golfing in Scotland!
To add to the already exciting meeting, when we boarded the plane and passed by him in first class, he acknowledged us as the “Pittsburgh […]
Bird watching with Daddy
While we were at the doctor’s office today, we saw the coolest bird and I really wanted to touch him, but he wasn’t too excited about that idea! I can’t understand why? — Benjamin, Jr.
Do you like my Black & Gold Nikes? Yeah, me too, they’re my favorites. And check out that Terrible Towel on the wall! Pretty cool, huh?!
“Thank you Ben!”
Hello,
My name is Jake and I am currently a student at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. As a Business Sports and Media Studies Major, I am in a student organization called Sports Business Association. SBA has been great at finding members internship and volunteer opportunities in the sports industry.
One of the opportunities that we had a chance to volunteer at was the Bruce Arians Celebrity Golf Classic located at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona last weekend. The event was set up for the Arians Family Foundation that supports CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in making sure that children who are involved in the court system, as a result of abuse or neglect by their families, receive the love and help they need.
Many celebrities and athletes came to participate and support the foundation by playing in the golf classic. Athletes included: Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer, Patrick Peterson, Andrew Luck, Jerome Bettis, and your very own Ben Roethlisberger!
Big Ben was one of the athletes that I really had the pleasure of meeting! He was one of the first guests to show up to the golf event and can really hit the golf ball! I heard he hit a 370-yard drive! While working at one of the golf holes, Ben came up to all of us and introduced himself. He was super friendly and took pictures with everyone. It was an awesome opportunity I could not pass on.
After the golf classic, we had a dinner and live auction with all the guests and athletes. Ben of course, was one of the first to show again! He was a stand-up guy, making everyone laugh and was as friendly as he was on the golf course!
It was awesome representing my school, ASU, in the picture I got with him. I was able to support my organization SBA by showing we are truly a great organization by finding such great opportunities such as this.
I am the one on the right, putting up the fork (hand gesture) to support ASU. On the left, my friend Nick, who is part of the SBA board that helped get us involved and eventually got us the chance to meet Ben Roethlisberger! — Jake Hernandez
Ben also played the […]
“Roethlisberger has been Steelers’ constant amid change”
From Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Ben Roethlisberger not only played in every game for only the second time in his 10-year career, but he also played every snap for the first time (though not all at quarterback because they used the wildcat on occasion).
So, having turned 32 March 2, it’s probably time for Steelers fans to stop fretting about his health. He’s fine. His knees are fine, his head is clear and his arm is as good as ever.
Operating behind what often was a makeshift line, Roethlisberger had another strong season. His 4,346 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes were second most in team history — records he owns. He set team records with 375 completions on 584 attempts. He increased his team record to 34,105 career yards.
“What we have to do is surround him with the best talent,” general manager Kevin Colbert said. “And he has to play to that level that he’s capable of playing to if we do get that talent around him. We all have to come together to try to win the Super Bowl. But we understand that there are only so many snaps left with a franchise quarterback.”
The Steelers want to ride Roethlisberger as far and as long as he will take them.
“In regards to Ben and his window closing, I think first of all we’re very fortunate to have a franchise quarterback because the majority of the teams in this league can’t say that and we have one,” Colbert said. “There is nobody we’d rather have than Ben. That’s a big part of where we are. As an organization we have to, and we realize that he doesn’t have 10 years left. We all would acknowledge that. Does he have two, three or five? I don’t know. Hopefully he stays healthy and we get the maximum amount of years out of him.”
You can read more from Mr. Bouchette’s Sunday column here.