It was a cold day in the Bronx. Especially for April.
According to the digital readouts at Yankee Stadium, it was a whopping 45 degrees out. But that didn’t matter one bit. Because the love surrounding my father-in-law that day could warm the heart of even the most devoted Red Sox fan.
Nearly my wife’s entire family was on hand to cheer on the legendary Philip Thau. (Sounds like “thaw.”) A Bronx native. Korean War Veteran. Loving husband. Dad to three daughters. And Grandpa Phil to his seven grandkids.
We were all there to watch the Yankees play the A’s, but in reality, we were braving the chill to honor Phil as the Veteran of the Game.
If you’re unfamiliar with this non-profit, they’re the ones responsible for getting the Yankees to bring a veteran out onto the field during the seventh-inning stretch. And it’s not just the Bronx Bombers; they do this for many teams in the major and minor leagues.
How Phil got picked for the Veteran of the Game
It was at a Yankees game a few years ago with the family that the idea first hit us. After seeing the crowd cheer for the day’s honored veteran, my wife Allison said, “We should get dad to be nominated as the veteran of the game.” Some quick Googling and a bit of research later, and we put our plan in motion.
According to its website, Veteran of the Game works, “directly with Major and Minor league teams aiming to honor veterans during the game. We do this by working with a wide range of veteran organizations nationwide to locate veterans who are interested in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Okay, so it’s one game. One veteran. And there are only so many home games a year. The odds didn’t sound very good for landing a spot. But we were determined to give it a shot.
After all, as Yogi so famously put it, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
We reviewed the criteria on the website and discovered that we just needed to find dad’s DD214 and discharge paperwork. That alone took some time. Additionally, we submitted photos of dad in uniform (as well as in Yankees gear), a short bio and a number of forms. We even put together a short video showcasing Phil’s love of the Yankees.
Except…
In early March of this year, Tony from Veteran of the Game (and a U.S. Navy Veteran himself), reached out to say there had been a cancellation. Before any of us could say “pinstripes,” we were confirmed for the April 9 Yankees game against the Athletics.
I can’t see enough nice things about Tony. He provided ample details, loads of contact information, and just exploded with enthusiasm about the program (and dad’s upcoming participation). Thank you for all of your help and support, Tony. And thank you for your service.
The Day of the Game
As part of the program, we received 4 free tickets to the game (Great seats in section 126 near 3rd base!), 1 parking pass and 1 wheelchair to use for the day. Tony put us in touch with Matt from the Yankees office for any additional tickets to the game. Since we were a pretty large crowd of over 15, we definitely took advantage of that.
Shoutout to Matt as well for being so great to work with and helping us secure the entire row in front of the complimentary quartet of tickets we received. Now the entire family would be together in one spot.
April 9 came and from the moment we arrived at the stadium, dad was treated like a full-fledged celebrity. One more shoutout goes to Mike from the Yankees marketing department, who clearly has done this a zillion times before.
Leading up to the game, we must have asked Mike a thousand and one questions. (Yes, we even asked if Phil could meet his current favorite player Aaron Judge. Sadly, the answer was no.) He answered every single one of our questions in full detail and with the utmost professionalism.
Mike was there every step of the way prior to the game, and then met us by our seats to explain how the day would unfold. He would come get Phil during the 6th inning and bring him down towards the field for the 7th inning stretch.
So we all settled down in our seats to root for the Yankees…
… and for grandpa.
And to take plenty of selfies.
Here comes the Veteran of the Game
The game moved pretty quickly and before we knew it, Mike was back at our seats to bring Phil down for his big moment. Allie joined him to make sure dad got on the field okay.
And that was it. The moment was here.
A waving American flag appeared on the jumbotron and a familiar booming voice projetced from the loudspeakers:
Ladies and gentlemen. Will you rise and remove your caps, and please direct your attention to the area behind home plate as the New York Yankees welcome an honored military guest. United States Army Private First Class Phil Thau from the Bronx, who served in the Korean War. The Yankees say, ‘Thank you, Phil, for your sacrifice and your service to our nation.
To watch my wife and father-in-law stand behind home plate was unreal. To hear some 40,000 fans cheer on Phil was beyond moving. And then looking up and suddenly seeing them both on the Jumbotron, smiling ear to ear, was a moment none of us will ever forget.
Before leaving the field, one of the umpires (who my wife described as “like seven feet tall!”) came over to them and gave each a game ball right out of his pocket. Phil also received a commemorative coin with the NY Yankees logo on one side and the American flag with logos from all five U.S. military branches on the other.
Then it was back to their seats where Phil was met with a rousing round of applause from everyone in the area.
What a day!
The Yanks may have lost the game (1-0), but we all still felt like huge winners.
The Yankees truly know how to make veterans feel special and this program is just a small part of the thanks we can give them for the sacrifices they made. If you or a relative of yours are a veteran, I urge you to reach out to Veteran of the Game to apply.
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