New program allows Birdland to honor area community heroes

Most Orioles fans will tell you the team's glory years occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, when the O's captured two of their three World Series championships and produced some of the game's greatest players.

Yet as fans watched their favorite team battle for a chance to be champions, thousands of Americans across the world were fighting for an even bigger cause - the safety and protection of the United States.

Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War captured the attention of the world. It was a war in which the United States became fully invested, a conflict that watched thousands of U.S. soldiers travel more than halfway across the world to fight - and a struggle that saw too many soldiers fail to return home.

For United States Marine Corps Capt. James Warner, service in the Vietnam War was unforgettable. He received a Silver Star for his heroics, yet was captured as a prisoner of war and thrown into Hoa Lo Prison for more than five years, a prison camp which Warner and other soldiers sarcastically refer to as the "Hanoi Hilton."

Warner is allowed to look back on that experience and joke. He's earned that right. He earned it with years of risking his life in service to his country. Now the Orioles have recognized Warner for his bravery and service to his country as part of the Birdland Community Heroes Program.

During each weekend home game of the 2016 season, honorees and community heroes from all walks of life will be recognized during an in-game ceremony at the conclusion of the fifth inning.

Warner's recognition came during the April 30 game against the White Sox. It was a chance for the Orioles community to show Warner - just one of thousands of soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War - just how much his service means to Americans, even following a war that ended more than 40 years ago.

Along with Warner, the Orioles have recognized several other community heroes in various professions. Pat Skerry, the head coach of Towson University's men's basketball team, was honored on April 29, while Brian Boles, director of development and community relations at Saint Frances Academy, was recognized on May 1.

It's a small token of appreciation for just some of the heroes who have done their part - and continue to do their part - to protect, defend and better our country and its many communities.