Military Appreciation Night: Los Angeles Clippers

If you are a reader of my blog you know that I have admiration for many things but fashion and sports are very high on that list as well. When I heard that the Los Angeles Clippers would be hosting a Military Apperception night, I thought what a great idea for an article. (FYI, they actually celebrate veterans every first Monday of the month, which includes special ticket prices!). I automatically assumed that someone on their team would have some military connection because ironically there is always a military connection.

I reached out to their communication department and requested credentials for their special night and was greeted with the most fabulous, professional and courtesy staff you’d ever encounter for a professional sports team. I should know because I’ve worked for several of them…. NBA and NFL alike.

As I suspected, there were several players on the team with military connections, one even with connections to the Tuskegee Airmen! Remember when HBO made their amazing legacy into a movie starring Lawrence Fishbourne and Cuba Gooding Jr.? George Lucas also penned the big screen version of their legacy called “Red Tails”. I preferred the HBO movie but I also enjoyed the movie version. But what I do recall is needing that bomber jacket! I had to have one of those jackets even though they were for men, I bought one for myself and it had a removal fur collar.

As for the Clippers, I was granted an interview with one of their star players, power forward Tobias Harris because it was his grandfather who was the Tuskegee Airman.

In case you don’t know who the Tuskegee Airman were, they were the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps, that fought in World War II.

Below are a few questions from my interview with Tobias Harris interview:

Q: Did you know growing up that your grandfather was a Tuskegee Airman?
A. I didn’t always know but there were always planes around when were kids. As I got older, I grew to know what an amazing person he was and what his great legacy meant as a Tuskegee Airman.

Q: Did you ever think of joining the military yourself?
A: I always wanted to be in the NBA but he taught us to be great at whatever we did

Q: What do you think about camouflage as fashion and trendy, such as blingy dog tags as necklaces, flags on t-shirts and stuff? Do you have any blinged out dog tags?
A: No, I don’t have any blinged out dog tags. But it’s in the fashion world and I think it’s pretty cool and cool to partake in all the holidays for Veterans

Q. Military Mondays is pretty cool, what do you think about what your organization is doing for the military and all the “patriotic” holidays?
A. I think it’s amazing, having a love for the country and appreciation for the troops, they put their lives on the line for our country!

Until next time my Veteran Fashionistas, as always, stay fashionable!

Jacquelyn Tacke is a proud Navy veteran. She has represented designers from “Project Runway,” “Project Runway All Stars,” “All On The Line,” etc. Some of those designers’ lines were sold in Dillard’s, Lane Bryant, the Smithsonian museum, as well as a variety of boutiques across the U.S. She has produced celebrity fashion shows all across the country and abroad. She was also a guest speaker for FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising).

Check out her new line of military themed t-shirts via https://www.veteranfashionista.com/shop-1

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