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Air Force blue shines in a sea of Cardinal red

  • Published
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --   For one Airman, opening day for the 2004 Major League Baseball season was pretty incredible, especially in St. Louis, where fans are passionate about the professional sports teams they claim as their own.

For Staff Sgt. Kelly Grant-Ramstack, opening day Monday at Busch Stadium, it wasnt just the standing room-only crowd of almost 50,000 fans. It wasnt the fact the first pitch of the Cardinals opener was made by her commander in chief, President George Bush.

For Sergeant Grant-Ramstack, a vocalist with the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America, it was proudly wearing Air Force blue, standing out in a sea of Cardinal red, singing the national anthem. While the stadium crowd and an extended television and radio audience focused on the Star Spangled Banner, she focused on presenting the song properly.

Its an honor and a responsibility to perform the anthem, especially with the president in attendance, she said.

Marty Hendin, vice president of community relations for the Cardinals, noted that Sergeant Grant-Ramstack was the only one we are allowing to wear blue today on a day when Cardinal red was the rule.

Sergeant Grant-Ramstack said there was also someone else in the crowd making the day even more special. Her husband, 1st Lt. Mathew Ramstack of the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron, was able to attend the game. He recently returned from a four-month deployment to the United Arab Emirates and Baghdad.