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Gridiron Greats To Boost Military Kids

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By IRA KAUFMAN

ikaufman@tampatrib.com

Published: November 13, 2008

TAMPA - Mike Ditka walked out of the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital a changed man.

The 69-year-old Hall of Fame tight end, a driving force in the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, experienced some moving moments while visiting the Tampa facility this week.

"I had a slap in the face of reality when I saw those young kids and I saw those families," Ditka said Wednesday in announcing a partnership between the GGAF and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college scholarship grants to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat.

"Some of these people come back home, but do they really come home? These are the true heroes of our society."

The GGAF is an organization formed in February 2007 that provides financial aid and medical services to former NFL players in need.

In a news conference at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Ditka was joined by a group of NFL veterans and Col. John T. Carney Jr. (Ret.) of the United States Air Force.

"We currently have 119 children in colleges throughout the country," Carney said. "The relationship with the Gridiron Greats is a blessing for us. Taking care of your teammates is what the Gridiron Greats are doing - and that's exactly what we are doing."

The joint initiative to raise awareness for both groups will kick off during Super Bowl week in Tampa with a series of events that includes a dinner featuring NFL legends, a golf outing and an autograph session.

Stephanie Matos, 30, is one of the surviving children of slain combat veterans helped by the SOWF, which provided $1.5 million in scholarships and financial aid last year.

"There are a lot of similarities between the groups," she said. "My father was one of those soldiers, and the Warrior Foundation has taken care of me completely. I graduated from USF here in Tampa, and now I go to UCF. I never had to worry about anything. They're like a family."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833.

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