Marine Week 2011 – St. Louis

St. Louis, MO — The Semper Fi Fund will be taking part in the 2011 Marine Week festivities in St. Louis, Missouri!

June 20-24, 2011 – SFF Booth at Gateway Arch

We will be hosting a booth under the Gateway Arch (Monday – Friday). Please stop by and say hello to SFF staff and volunteers, and pick up some of our promotional material!

June 21, 2011 – Marine to throw out first pitch at Phillies vs. Cardinals at Busch Stadium

Tuesday night, Semper Fi Fund recipient and Missouri native, Marine Lance Corporal Mark Meirink will be throwing out the first pitch of the Phillies vs. Cardinals game for Marine Night at Busch Stadium. Mark lost his left leg below the knee in an IED blast in January 2011. He has made tremendous strides in recovering and using his new prosthetic leg. We will be cheering him on as he throws out the first pitch!

June 22, 2011 – Marine to throw out first pitch at Phillies vs. Cardinals at Busch Stadium

Wednesday night, Semper Fi Fund recipient, Marine Corporal Justin McLoud will be throwing out the first pitch of the Phillies vs Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. Cpl Justin McLoud is from Missouri, a husband and a proud father of his newborn son. He was three months into his third tour when he stepped on an IED on December 10, 2010. When the blast occurred he lost both of his legs above the knee and severely fractured his left arm. However, due to the extent of the damage to his arm he opted to amputate it above the elbow on Christmas Eve. You can read more about Justin and how the Semper Fi Fund has assisted him and his family on our website!

Marine Week Information:

The third annual Marine Week will take St. Louis by land, air and sea, June 20-26. A full event listing is available on the Marine Week website.

During the week, seize the opportunity to man the helm of the revolutionary MV-22 Osprey; climb aboard a M1A1 Abrams tank; jump in the cockpit of the AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter; and take your best shot on the simulated rifle range. All week, state-of-the-art ground vehicles, aircraft, weaponry and equipment will be on full display at the Gateway Arch, Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium and the War Memorial. The Albany Marine Band and Silent Drill Platoon will perform for the St. Louis community throughout Marine Week.

On June 24 and 25, St. Louisans will witness the Marine Corps’ military might with a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration. This amphibious assault demonstration will showcase multiple Marine vehicles and aircraft in action, to include: amphibious assault vehicles, light amphibious vehicles, combat rigid raiding crafts, the MV-22 Osprey, AV-8B Harrier, CH-53E Super Stallion, CH-46E Sea Knight, AH-1W Cobra, and UH-1N Huey.

All Marine Week events are free and open to the public. For updates, follow Marine Week on Twitter @USMC (#MarineWeek) or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/Marines.

When the Marines land in the Gateway City, every St. Louisan will be reminded why the Marine Corps is “America’s Expeditionary Force in Readiness.”

We’ll see you in St. Louis!