SAN ANTONIO – The Spurs will celebrate the military Wednesday by hosting an appreciation night that is part of a series of Salute Nights events the team has throughout the year.
This is the biggest event the Spurs have for the military community.
At Wednesday’s game, military members will be singing the national anthem. There will also be several presentations and videos throughout the game dedicated to the military community.
All active-duty military and veterans can save up to 40 percent on tickets and 15 percent off at the Spurs Fan Shop on USAA Salute Nights with a military ID.
Spurs fan Levi Rodgers said his life changed after he was wounded in Afghanistan a few years ago. He was then medically evacuated to San Antonio.
“I was a chief warrant officer in the Army and Army Green Berets,” Rodgers said. “About 35 percent of my body was burnt and I shattered almost everything in body.”
Rodgers said the vehicle explosion he survived killed four service members.
After months of recovery, a nurse wanted to do something special for Rodgers and contacted the Spurs organization. Rodgers said the Spurs gave him tickets to watch his favorite team at the time, the Los Angeles Lakers. At the game, Rodgers said he realized the kind gesture the Spurs made, and that’s when his love for the team began.
"I really love whenever you have (18,000), 19,000 people all stand up and support our people, whether it is a World War II veteran or whether it is a young soldier getting presented a house by a charity. The San Antonio Spurs have done a phenomenal job, along with their service partners, in really supporting the whole military city culture,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers is doing much better today. He is not only running a business selling homes primarily to the military community, but often gives his season tickets to military veterans' families.