Fairfield Ludlowe HS Boys Lacrosse Hosts Sticks for Soldiers Thanksgiving Lacrosse Classic

From Fairfield Ludlowe High School:

FAIRFIELD, CT - Young Americans too often come back from foreign wars with life-changing wounds. As we carry on with our lives, they struggle for the rest of theirs.To help ease that struggle, the Fairfield Ludlowe High School boys lacrosse program is hosting the 11th Annual Sticks for Soldiers Thanksgiving Lacrosse Classic on Saturday November 26th, 2016. Please join us in raising funds and awareness for these heroic Americans.

Fairfield Ludlowe High School is located at 785 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. Games begin at 9:00 a.m. The event ceremony will be held at 11:55 a.m.

Can’t attend the event? Consider making a donation in support of this year’s Sticks for Soldiers honorees. MAKE A DONATION

Sticks for Soldiers, Inc.
P.O. Box 475
Fairfield, CT 06824

www.sticksforsoldiers.org

The 11th Annual Thanksgiving Lacross Classic is held in honor of SGT Salvatore Anselmo Jr. and CPL(R) Vincent Mannion-Brodeur.

SGT Salvatore Anselmo Jr. was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 12, 2001 following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Upon his completion of One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Knox, KY in July 2002, SGT Anselmo was sent to Ft Hood, TX and was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Troop as a tank crewman. After receiving additional training in dismounted cavalry scout operations and combined arms urban warfare, he deployed to Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq as a Cavalry Scout where SGT Anselmo served as the gunner on the company commander’s Humvee.

On April 4th 2004, SGT Anselmo was wounded when roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee and he was ejected from the vehicle during combat operations on the outskirts of Sadr City. During his deployment, SGT Anselmo was also wounded by shrapnel in his left knee from a 62mm mortar round in one of the daily mortar attacks on his position that ultimately saw 2,600 mortar rounds impact within his unit’s perimeter. SGT Anselmo also received wounds from small arms fire, unexploded ordinance and other roadside bombs during his deployment. Due to his wounds and severe, combat related PTSD, SGT Anselmo was medically retired. Unable to reenter the workforce upon his retirement due to his wounds, SGT Anselmo now tries to work with recently discharged combat veterans in need of local resources. SGT Anselmo currently resides in Rochester, NY with his 2 daughters who are now ages 11 and 12.

CPL(R) Vincent Mannion-Brodeur was raised in West Roxbury, MA and Hyannis, MA. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 2006. After graduating from Infantry and Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA in December of 2006, CPL Manning was ultimately assigned to B Co., 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Kuwait in early Feb 2007 before arriving in Iraq a week later.

While on a patrol in Tikrit, Iraq on March 11, 2007, Vincent’s team moved to clear a small building. Upon opening the door, an explosive device was detonated remotely using a cell phone. The explosion instantly killed CPL Brodeur’s squad leader, SGT Dan Woodcock, and severely wounded Vincent who was positioned only four feet to his right. Vincent’s wounds included catastrophic head trauma, a nearly severed left arm and his upper torso was riddled with bomb fragments.

CPL Brodeur remained in a coma for more than a year while enduring multiple surgeries to reattach his left arm, remove a portion of his brain, remove various blood clots within his brain and replace his cranium with synthetic material. Thanks to the tireless efforts of his parents, Jeff and Maura, Vincent became the first active-duty serviceman to get private care on the East Coast when he was moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, MA. As a direct result of his wounds, CPL Brodeur has undergone 43 surgeries in 24 different hospitals and has set the bar to a new level for severe TBI. He continues to receive treatment in several hospitals each year. Vincent currently lives with his mother, Maura, a U.S. Navy veteran and his father, Jeff, a U.S. Army veteran who together are his caretakers.

Image via Fairfield Ludlowe High School.