My girlfriend Natalie Karpinsky is a Senior Airman in Security Forces for the U.S. Air Force. She has been serving for 3 years and is currently active duty. She was deployed in the Middle East for 7.5 months this year. When she’s not deployed she serves full time at the 171 Refueling Base in Pittsburgh.
Besides her family, Natalie keeps love for her Country first and love for her City second. She is a Black & Gold girl through thick and thin. We even have a ‘Ben wall’ in our game room, lol. Needless to say, she is proud to be an American and proud to be a Yinzer.
The most enjoyment I get out here is watching the team win on Sundays. Because of the circumstances with this week’s bye, I am using part of my day off to finally listen to Mr. Roethlisberger’s Man Up testimony and Bigger Than Ben series. Both were amazing.
I was in 2nd Grade when Ben was a rookie, and this was basically the first full Steelers season I recall from my childhood. I remember being in my grandma’s living room praying that the Jets kicker would miss the field goal in the Divisional, and he did. The following year, I remember praying even harder that Mike Vanderjagt would miss the kick after Ben made the shoe-string tackle.
The Super Bowl XL Season was the first year my mom allowed me to play football. Throughout my years, my goal was to mimic Big Ben on the field. In high school, I wore #7 proudly. I was never as big and talented as him, but I tried to play as strong and creative as he always has. Similar to him, my passion and family was always about basketball from a young age. But I found leading an offense to be the most satisfying athletic achievement, so I pursued that dream. Watching a Quarterback do that for my favorite team for so many years drove me to do the same.
I want to thank Mr. Roethlisberger, and his beautiful family, for the work (on and off the field) they’ve done for the city, and the standard they’ve set for all families across the country.
As for me, I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times but I truly don’t think of my duty as anything heroic. I just enjoy what I do for a country that I love.
I would like to add a BIG THANK YOU to my dad, LTC (Ret.) Tom Clarke, for his many years of service in the U.S. Army.”
God Bless and Go Steelers,
Logan Clarke
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