by Navy Yard Philadelphia
May 19, 2023
The Philadelphia Phillies honored a local veteran’s service during a ceremony May 18 on the Marine Parade Grounds at the Navy Yard.
Anita Garner, a Navy veteran, arrived to a crowd of wave-flagging supporters completely surprised by the event – she thought she was arriving to go to a meeting.
Garner served during Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a hospital corpsman and is now a nurse practitioner in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Service to her country and community runs in her family as her family has proudly served in several branches of our military for generations.
The Phillies chose to honor Garner for her military service and her continued service with veteran’s organizations, particularly Team Foster. Team Foster fights for the unmet needs of injured and disabled veterans by bringing together civilians, veterans and highly trained service dogs.
During the ceremony, she was greeted by Phillies Ambassador Scott Palmer and Nick Liermann (founder and executive director of Team Foster – whose motto is “No Hero Left Behind”). Liermann nominated Garner for her dedication to the veteran community.
Garner also received a personalized jersey from the Phillies for when she throws out the first pitch at the Phillies Salute to Service Night. To prepare her for the first pitch, she got to have a practice throw with the Phillie Phanatic.
Garner was also presented with a challenge coin from The Chapel of the Four Chaplains to honor her selfless service.
