Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Two weeks ago, NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly entered the team’s locker room a little bit more somber than anytime in the season.
When he should be happy and exciting given his team – the Carolina Panthers – were undefeated, he was more serious.
Awaiting the 24-year-old, Cincinnati native was not an award or congratulatory letter on his season but rather a picture with a note attached, tucked into his locker. The picture was of fallen U.S. Marine Sgt. Trevor Blaylock and the note was a bio of his life. Shortly thereafter Keuchley would have Blaylock’s initials on the back of his helmet for the entire month of November.
‘When you look at the guy’s picture, he’s happy, he’s smiling and just to know what he stood for, what he did for us and what his family has been through, it’s hard to really put it into words,? Kuechly said. ‘You read the bio and you get shaken up by it because you see his picture and he looks like the nicest guy in the world. It’s makes our country what it is and it’s an honor to represent those guys.?
On March 10, Blaylock, who graduated from Lake Orion High School in 2004 and served two tours in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan, was among seven Marines and four soldiers who died when the Black Hawk helicopter they were in crashed during a training exercise in Santa Rosa Sound, located in the Florida Panhandle. Blaylock lived in North Carolina with his wife of seven years, Lisa Blaylock, and their two daughters, Annabelle and Evelyn.
All fallen heroes the Panthers were honoring have a connection to the Carolinas. They were natives of the region, trained or deployed from a base in the Carolinas and for Blaylock, he was living in Sneads Ferry, N.C., at the time of his death. The recognized service members were identified and randomly paired with players with the help of the USO of North Carolina and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).
Each November, NFL clubs designate home games during the month to honor service members and veterans with the presentation of colors, special in-game tributes, stadium flyovers and localized military-themed activation as part of their Veterans Day celebrations.
During the Nov. 8 game against the Green Bay Packers the service members were honored in a video tribute and their loved ones were welcomed onto the field between the first and second quarters to receive a replica helmet with the decal, signed by their player. The words ‘Keep Pounding? were written on the helmet given to Blaylock’s family.
Those two words have become the Panthers? team mantra in honor of late Carolina Panthers player and coach Sam Mills. It’s meant to encourage and motivate those who are going through a struggle and to continue to overcome that struggle.
Being called the Salute to Service Campaign around the organization, Kuechly, who also wore the initials during last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans, has participated in various honors and recognitions for military service members since being drafted by the Panthers in 2012. Although this time around he said it was an entirely different feeling.
‘This year it’s cool because you represent an individual person, an individual family and I think that’s more intimate and it’s more of a personal connection,? he said. ‘When you can really zero in on one guy and one family, it’s more meaningful.?
The ability to honor military service members was not only a humbling experience for the Boston College graduate but one that brought with his own personal connections to the military.
His cousin serves in the US Coast Guard and his older brother is in the Army ROTC program. The connection to the military didn’t stop at the players but continued to the coaching staff. ?
‘My father served 32 years in the U.S. Army, and the Armed Forces are very close to my heart,? Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. ‘Our service men and women exemplify commitment, integrity, selflessness and spirit. Our team is proud to recognize all who serve and their families, whose support makes service possible, and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.?
For every point scored during Salute to Service games, the league donates $100 to each of its three core, military nonprofit partners ? the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and the Wounded Warrior Project. Since the campaign’s inception in 2011, the NFL has donated more than $4 million to its three military nonprofit partners. The funds have been used to build family centers on military bases, host physical health expos for injured veterans and provide scholarships for service members.
‘For me it’s an honor to represent a family and what they’ve been through and what their family stands for,? Keuchley said. ‘These guys go out there and risk their lives, risk their freedom for us and that’s the ultimate sacrifice. We just appreciate it and know that our country is the way it is because of guys like Trevor.?