Firebirds, Acrisure Arena marks Veterans Day with gratitude

The Coachella Valley Firebirds home game against Calgary on Saturday night was much more than a regular season contest. Falling on Veterans Day, the Firebirds honored local veterans.

"I had the luxury of going to Iraq twice when I was a younger man, so 2006 to 2009, and then 2010 2011. It's a way for us to remember what happened, remember our friends and look back at our service," said Adrian Robles. "But specifically this is part of a brotherhood and sisterhood. When we served our country."

"We want to say thank you to the troops," said Spotlight 29 VP of Marketing Jose Garcia. "And we're going to take the banner up to the Twentynine Palms military base, and we're gonna hang it up there to just let the troops know that we support them, and that we're here for them and say just thank you on here on Veterans Day."

"Deployed Iraq, Afghanistan, I was in from 92 to 2017," said Retired Navy Master Chief Thomas Henderson.

Appreciation and gratitude was certainly in the air. Even Fuego had to stop by to put his feathers on the sign. A special day that turned in to an unforgettable puck drop for one local veteran.

"I was in the United States Marine Corps," said Robert Covert. "I served eight years. I was in Combat Logistics battalion seven and I was stationed in Twentynine Palms, California."