The Chargers "have built enormous goodwill with the local military, holding events like Friday’s combine and walk-through practice at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as part of the team’s continuing military appreciation efforts," according to Marcia Smith of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The team has "held eight practices at Miramar" since '05. They have also "held walk-through practices at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Naval Base San Diego and on the flight decks of USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Abraham Lincoln." The Chargers "offer discounted game tickets for purchase on bases." In addition to "Military Appreciation” promotions, the Chargers "invite military personnel to work security shifts at Qualcomm Stadium." And they "show up at the base, arriving in two charter buses, for visits that draw crowds." More than 500 military personnel and their families "attended the practice, which wasn’t really much more than the Chargers roaming around in jerseys and shorts in the middle of the Miramar Sports Complex field." The Chargers "welcomed children from the base’s Boys & Girls Club onto to the field," while the players "signed autographs and posed for pictures for about 30 minutes" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/29).
