Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox are finalists for the 14th annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA.
Salute to Service Award is part of the NFL and USAA's year-round commitment to recognize and honor the military and veteran community. Through the initiative, the NFL and its teams come together to honor, empower and connect with service members, veterans and their families. The 32 award nominees from each team were announced in November and consisted of active and retired players, coaches and team executives and personnel who best demonstrated support for the military community.
“Our three finalists for the 2024 Salute to Service Award are all deserving of recognition for their long-standing and unwavering commitment to honoring the military community,” said USAA Senior Vice President and head of Military Affairs, retired Maj. Gen. John Richardson. “We commend Aaron Jones, George Kittle and Morgan Fox for continually using their platforms as NFL players to advance and enrich the lives of our military service members and their families, putting service to others above themselves.”
USAA will contribute $25,000 in the award recipient's honor to the official aid societies representing each of the military branches. The NFL Foundation will match that donation, which will go directly to the recipient's military charity of choice. The award recipient will also receive a specially designed military challenge coin which is presented to members of the military community to demonstrate membership, recognize excellence or boost morale.
Fans were once again able to vote for their favorite nominees, and the finalists were ultimately decided based on a consensus fan vote, an NFL internal committee and USAA. Nominees were also evaluated on the positive impact of their efforts to support the military community, the type of service conducted, the thoroughness of their support and their level of commitment.
A panel of judges, consisting of representatives from the U.S. military community, the NFL and USAA, will determine the Salute to Service Award recipient, including Richardson; Chad Hennings, Air Force Academy graduate and three-time Super Bowl champion; Jim Mora, Sr., Marine Corps veteran and former NFL head coach; Lenny Bandy, Marine Corps veteran and NFL Vice President of Security; and Joe Cardona, New England Patriots long snapper, U.S. Naval Reservist and 2023 Salute to Service Award recipient.
Since 2011, USAA has used its sponsorship to honor and show appreciation to service members, veterans and their families by creating unique opportunities that bring the military community and the NFL closer together.
The award recipient will be announced in February and recognized at NFL Honors on Feb. 6.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.