AFGHANISTAN: Baseball team tribute to SEALs and soldiers

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In a moving pregame ceremony Saturday night at Petco Park, the San Diego Padres paid tribute to the 11 Navy SEALs and 8 Army commandos killed on June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan.

The SEALs and commandos were killed when a SEAL team on a high-risk mission was ambushed by the Taliban and then a helicopter full of troops sent to rescue them crashed.

The tribute included a demonstration by the Navy Leap Frog parachute team, a flyby by Navy jets and a standing ovation by the crowd for two-dozen family members of the SEALs and commandos. Marcus Luttrell, the sole SEAL survivor, threw out the first pitch.

For the SEALs, Operation Red Wing was the largest single-day loss of life since World War II. Two of the 11 received the Navy Cross, one received the Medal of Honor. Luttrell has written a book, ‘Lone Survivor.’

The tribute was arranged by First American Military Inc., a nonprofit support group.

One discordant note: Several members of the Seattle Mariners continued to do their stretching exercises just a few yards from where the family members were standing along the third-base line while the crowd gave them the standing ovation. By comparison, Padres players were standing and clapping along with the fans.

-- Tony Perry, in San Diego

Photo: Navy SEALs in Afghanistan. Only Marcus Luttrell, fourth from left, survived. Credit. U.S. Navy