Fort Hamilton meets the Mets during Military Monday

Meet the Mets!

U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton’s Community Activities Center welcomed New York Mets legend Mookie Wilson and General Manager Sandy Alderson for a friendly game of bowling as well as mingling with military personnel on Monday, August 31. The event was part of the franchise’s Mets Military Mondays initiative which includes community outreach events.

“It was a great event,” said Colonel Joseph Davidson. “There were probably about 70 service members in attendance.  It was well attended, especially on a work day.”

Along with bowling, the guests signed autographs, posed for photos and told stories about life in the big leagues.

With the Mets having their best season in nine years and in the midst of a playoff run, Davidson was thrilled to have them raise the spirits of all the attendees.

“It was unbelievable of the Mets to have their general manager and one of their superstars of yesterday come by. It’s a big deal that they want to give back to the military,” he added. “The team is in the middle of a pennant race. It’s one of most important times of the season so spending time with us during this busy time means that much more to us.”

Alderson, a former Marine, was more than willing to give back. He visited the army base last year with top Mets prospects. “As a former Marine,” Davidson said, “this means more to him than the average citizen. He felt it was an important enough cause to show appreciation to the military. He’s a class act. ”

During last year’s appearance at the fort, Alderson discussed why giving back means so much to him. ““This is special for me. I’m an Air Force brat. I grew up in military bases around the world. This is part of our effort to recognize everything all of you do who are in the military, the burdens you shoulder from us, the benefits we derive from your service. We just want to recognize it and thank you for it,” he said.

Older service members were delighted to have Wilson in attendance as well, discussing the last time the Mets won the World Series, back in 1986. “I was numb,” he recalled. “It took me two days to actually realize what happened. Then all the excitement kicked in, the realization that we had won.”

The franchise donated tickets to everyone in attendance for the evening’s game.