On Wednesday, former Redskins guard Derrick Dockery received the Redskins Salute Award at the 55th annual Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon.
The Washington Redskins are one of the biggest supporters of the U.S. Armed Forces, as are their alumni.
Former Redskins guard Derrick Dockery is an example of the special bond the team and the military share, as Dockery along with his wife, Emma, created Yellow Ribbons United [YRU]. YRU is an organization that's main goal is to give the military and their families as much support as humanly possible.
The human kindness the Dockerys show the military hasn't gone unnoticed by the Redskins, who awarded Dockery with the Redskins Salute Award, presented by Lockheed Martin, at the Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon, on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, in McLean, Va.
Dockery - who played for the Redskins for six seasons - received the award from Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, Commanding General, Joint Force Headquarters – National Capital Region, and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
Becker was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery upon graduating from the University of California at Davis in May 1986, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science.
Becker earned the Combat Action Badge, Parachutist and Air Assault identification badges, and is Ranger qualified.
The Redskins Salute Award is presented annually to the member of the Redskins organization, past or present, that is doing the most to support our men and women in uniform and their families, which the Dockery's are doing in great fashion with YRU.
Last May, YRU celebrated Memorial Day by putting on a "Playfield in the Park" event in Washington D.C., for 500 children and teenagers who attended the Tragedy Assistance and Program for Survivors [TAPS] Good Grief Camp. The Dockerys were there alongside Redskins linebacker Martrell Spaight and wide receiver Jamison Crowder.
Derrick and Emma wouldn't have missed the event for the world. It gave them a chance to pay tribute to those soldiers who fight for our freedoms every single day.
"It's wonderful, and a great weekend to get an opportunity to reflect and think about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice," Derrick said. "To think about what they have to go through on a day-to-day basis, you really put things in perspective; you don't take things for granted. My wife and I are very thrilled and honored to support our men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and served our country courageously and admirably."
The love the Dockerys have for the military stems from Emma's personal involvement with it. Sadly, Emma lost her brother, Army Sgt. David Williams, who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. Her father also served in the United States Army for 30 years and retired as a Colonel.
To this day, Emma says her father is her "biggest advisor, mentor and hero."
"Although I was proud of the work and service that my father performed, I can still feel the fear and the uncertainty that came with life in the Armed Forces," Emma said, via the YRU website. "Though it was my father who made the official oath to our country, it was ultimately the entire family's sacrifice."
