**[NBA Veterans Visit VA Medical Center During All-Star
Weekend]{.underline}**

**VA and Armed Forces Team with NBA Legends to Support Veterans** 

** *Special Broadcasts to Troops in Iraq also Slated for Weekend***

**When:             Friday, Feb. 13; 1:30 p.m.**

**Where:            Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, located at the
northwest corner of Seventh Street and Indian School Road, Phoenix.
Enter the Community Living Center (CLC) from Seventh Street, just north
of the Main Entrance, and meet in the Sports Room.**

PHOENIX - Patients of the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS) will
get a taste of All-Star Weekend, during the National Salute to
Hospitalized Veterans, as five NBA legends visit with them at the VA
Medical Center on Friday Feb 13.

The retired players include:

-   **Darryl Dawkins** - Nicknamed the \"Rimwrecker\" for his powerful
    dunks, Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his
    14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in
    field-goal percentage. He played in the [NBA
    Finals](http://www.southwest.va.gov/offsite.asp?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Finals)
    three times as a member of the [Philadelphia
    76ers](http://www.southwest.va.gov/offsite.asp?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_76ers)
    in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also played for the New
    Jersey Nets.

-   **Sam Jones** - An Army veteran who served with the 101st Airborne,
    he was one of the linchpins of the Boston Celtics juggernaut of the
    1960s. His uncannily accurate bank shots and lightning quickness
    helped the Celtics win 10 NBA Championships in the 12 years he
    played with the team. Selected to the All-NBA Second Team three
    times and as an All-Star five times, Jones was elected to the
    Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

-   **Wali Jones** - A10-year veteran of the NBA, Jones won a
    championship alongside Wilt Chamberlain on the vaunted 1967
    Philadelphia 76ers team, which was voted into the Hall of Fame as
    the best team in the NBA\'s first 25 years. In addition to two
    stints with the 76ers, Jones saw action with the Detroit Pistons,
    Milwaukee Bucks and Baltimore Bullets. He is currently the community
    affairs liaison for the Miami Heat.

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NBA Veterans Visit VA Medical Center During All-Star Weekend

-   **Charles Smith** - Smith played four years with the Los Angles
    Clippers, in which he averaged 20 points and was a top rebounder. He
    also played for the [New York
    Knicks](http://www.southwest.va.gov/offsite.asp?http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=New_York_Knickerbockers)
    and [San Antonio
    Spurs](http://www.southwest.va.gov/offsite.asp?http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=San_Antonio_Spurs).

-   **JoJo White** - A gifted all-around athlete who was also drafted by
    the NFL Dallas Cowboys and the MLB Cincinnati Reds, White played for
    the Boston Celtics. Named to the NBA All-Star Team each year from
    1972 through 1977, he also was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable
    Player in 1976, when the Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns for the
    championship. He is Director of Special Projects and Community
    Relations Representative for the Celtics.

The players will visit with patients in the VA\'s Community Living
Center, a long-term care unit, and on the inpatient wards in the
hospital. Their visit will be featured in the hour-long program \"NBA
All-Star Legends Salute to Veterans\" that will be broadcast to VA
facilities.

**After the visit to the VA Medical Center, Sam Jones will host a
\"Champions 4 Champions\" (C4C) forum** featuring NBA Legends who also
are veterans, talking about the value of their military experience and
their respect for today\'s combat veterans. The town-hall style forum
will be broadcast to troops in Iraq on Friday night and to troops in
Afghanistan on Saturday morning.

**When:             Friday, Feb. 13; 4 p.m., and**

**                        Saturday, Feb 14, 10 a.m.**

**Where:            Wyndham Hotel, 50 E. Adams**

The forum will offer audience members a chance to ask questions, and
PVAHCS representatives will be there to help provide answers and provide
insights for military members returning from service in Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF), in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom
(OIF). In addition, veterans who have been served by the PVAHCS also
will attend to talk about their experiences and discuss the services
provided by VA.

**Local OEF-OIF veterans attending the C4C forum include:**

-   **Laura Bringas, who resides in the Maryvale area of Phoenix** and
    served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Ramadi and Fallujah. During her
    deployment, Bringas became what is called a \"Lioness,\" a member of
    a female search team that conducts searches of Iraqi females,
    children and cars who were crossing the borders. She also stood duty
    patrolling the city. In 2005, she was severely injured when a
    suicide car bomb detonated and her unit was ambushed. 

-   **Jeremiah Thompson, of Peoria** served with the US Army from 2005
    to 2007 as a Military Police Officer.  Thompson was a Military
    Police Officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 in both Baghdad
    and Al-Hilla.  His group was ambushed while on patrol and he is
    dealing with PTSD, seizure disorders and migraines due to that
    attack.

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> NBA Veterans Visit VA Medical Center During All-Star Weekend

-   **Aya Harrison, of Chandler,** served with the U.S. Air Force in
    Kuwait and Nasiriyah, Iraq, as an information manager.  While
    stationed at Ali Air Force Base in Iraq, she weathered attacks on
    the base that resulted in post traumatic stress. Despite the
    experiences, she knows that her service was important to others.

-   **Tim Hernandez, of Florence**, who served as a Cavalry Scout with
    the U.S. Army in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He was a section
    sergeant in charge of a small squad that conducted reconnaissance
    and search-and-destroy missions. Hernandez was wounded three times,
    with the final injury ending his hopes of an Army career.

-   **Kevin Ivory, who resides in central Phoenix** and served with the
    U.S. Navy.  A hospital corpsman and field medic, Ivory was deployed
    twice to Iraq, where he experienced three attacks by improvised
    explosive devices (IEDs) while on patrol. Injured in the third
    attack, he still did in job, saving the life of a marine who lost
    his arm in the attack.

C4C teams celebrity athletes, past and present, with the VA, Veterans
Service Organizations and U.S. Armed Forces to boost morale and support
the efforts of our military and their families. C4C TV broadcasts
provide a unique platform dedicated to bringing all genres of
information to veterans and their families through VA\'s satellite video
network reaching veterans cared for at VA medical centers across the
country.  C4C TV focuses on informing veterans and their families about
veteran health care, psychological needs, benefits claims, legislation,
employment and training, so that returning troops and their families are
aware of services available to them.

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