Members of the battalion's St. Louis grassroots advisory board and other area Army advocates attended the event including famed television and radio sports personality Frank Cusumano.
Cusumano is a key board leader who has expressed support for the Army and the Kansas City Battalion mission. He was on hand to meet the new Kansas City Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Vernon Jakoby, who took command last month, and other VIPs interested in working with the Army. Other notable St. Louis broadcasters in the U.S. Army suite included Kevin Slaten, Rick Balis and Jim Powers.
Two-time Super Bowl Champion defensive back Mark Collins travelled all the way from his home in Overland Park, Kansas to join the group. Collins was on hand to explore ways his company, 2 X Champ Sports, LLC, and the U.S. Army could work together to achieve similar goals. Collins has also expressed great interest in helping battalion Soldiers find venues where they can tell the Army story.
Other VIPs who participated were St. Louis Basketball Academy Director Dennis Beckett, Axiom Blue's Donald Sampley, KMOX radio executive Chris Miller, St. Louis University Professor Dr. Zach Schaefer, long-time 105.7 "The Point" executive Joanne Balis and others. The group clearly enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate Independence Day with great conversation, great Cardinal baseball and great fireworks.
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The Kansas City Recruiting Battalion’s area of operation covers approximately 94,540 square miles and includes seven recruiting companies covering Eastern Kansas, Missouri and Southern Illinois.
