Medal of Bravery Recipient to be Presented with an Ultimate Grey Cup Package
September 11, 2009 - Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release
EDMONTON - Eskimos Alumni and CFL Alumni are honouring a military hero with a special prize as part of their ongoing efforts to pay tribute to our Canadian troops.
Major Corporal Donovan Ball will be presented with an Ultimate Grey Cup Package, including tickets and accommodations for the CFL's biggest game in Calgary this November, before tonight's game here between the Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders.
Ball was awarded the Medal of Bravery for his actions last year, during his second deployment in Afghanistan. He was one of a number of Canadian officers working as mentors to an Afghan Company when they were ambushed by Taliban insurgents. The official citation accompanying his medal descirbes how Ball helped secure "an extraction route that allowed for the execution of a fighting withdrawal". It praises his "dedication, leadership and valour" and says that, because of Ball and his fellow officers, "many Afghan and Canadian lives were saved."
Ball was chosen for the Grey Cup prize by Lieutenant-Colonel Pete Dawe, Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, after the former CFL players asked for the name of a worthy recipient.
"Master Corporal Ball embodies all that we admire in the Canadian soldier," Lieutenant-Colonel Dawe said. "He is a Canadian hero and we, his fellow members of the Canadian Forces, are tremendously proud of his accomplishments and trust that all Canadians will share our sentiment."
The Grey Cup prize was originally purchased at a live auction during the Edmonton Eskimo Alumni Golf Tournament last month by Glenn Cumyn, Owner and President of SFE Global in Vancouver. He decided to donate it for this purpose so a member of the military could enjoy "a weekend he'll never forget."
"The military and the CFL are my two passions,' said Cumyn, the son of a 35-year veteran soldier, with several family members serving in the military.
Master Corporal Ball said he is honoured to accept this prize on behalf of everyone in his unit and the Canadian Forces.
"I would like to thank the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni, CFL Alumni and Mr. Cumyn for recognizing our soldiers at home and overseas," he said.
The presentation to Master Corporal Ball is part of a special evening that will see several members of the military hosted in the Alumni Lounge and treated to game tickets by the Edmonton Eskimos.
Canadian Football League Stories from September 11, 2009
- Medal of Bravery Recipient to be Presented with an Ultimate Grey Cup Package - CFL
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