MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins received hundreds of calls supporting the team's plan to give away G.I. Joe action figures to 5,000 children in honor of local military personnel, Vice President of Marketing Patrick Klinger said Thursday.
The calls came in the day after after some peace groups demanded that the team abandon the giveaway planned for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.
"I knew there would be some degree of criticism. I'm really overwhelmed with the incredible support we've received," Klinger said.
The second annual Armed Services Appreciation Day promotion is not intended as a political statement, he stressed.
"It really is intended to pay tribute to the soldiers, those infantry people who are serving the country here and abroad," Klinger said. "We wanted to pay tribute to the real G.I. Joes and G.I. Janes serving the country."
Toymaker Hasbro Inc. removed the gun from the action figure, but hand grenades are still visible. The Twins will provide packs of baseball cards for children whose parents don't want them to have a G.I. Joe, Klinger said.
John Varone, a Vietnam veteran and president of the Twin Cities chapter of Veterans for Peace, criticized the promotion. "The last place we need to promote war is at our national pastime," he said.
The Twins crafted a tribute to the service men and women that appears on the back of the action figure package, noting the contributions of thousands of Minnesotans supporting the nation as active or reserve members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard. The Twins note that Guard members also serve during natural disasters and other emergencies.
"The Minnesota Twins salute these courageous men and women, past and present, who put their lives on the line to defend our country and assist us in times of need," the tribute reads.
Monday's Twins game will be half price for current and former military personnel and their families. Before the first pitch, Gov. Tim Pawlenty will receive a flag being returned from battle by Company C, 142nd Engineer Battalion of the Minnesota Army Guard based at Camp Ripley.
"We are absolutely going forward with the promotion," Klinger added.
Doug has it right. Some people just like to whine and snivel about anything and nothing. People should be happy that the Twins want to honor servicemen and women.
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More Political Correctness. I'm as sick of the PC crap as I am with the Hate Bush First crowd. Give the kids the GI Joe toys. I wish I still had all mine from years ago. What do the protesters want to give the kids Flowers? We see how that turned out from the 60's and 70's. A bunch of whiny liberal, complain about everything people without any morals or convictions. And they are now the ones killing America from the inside.
I say bring back the toy guns and plastic Army helmets too. My cousins and I never killed anyone while we played Army as kids.
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What a crock of BS! [:@] Yes, war is an awful business, but trying preaching this idealistic peace line to the terrorists who want every single American dead.
peope who are anti any thing are the frist to b!tch when it start to afect them on what they dont want. so if they are agaist the war on terror and a attack hapens where they live they will yell the loudest that the gove needs to do more.
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Sad but true. People b!tch for the sake of b!tching. They do it simply "Just because" Most protesters that you talk to, (Any protest. I don't care for what) have no real idea what they are really protesting. They do it because their parents did it, and their friends do it. they simply want to hear their own voices, even though most of us do not. I suppose, we just have to learn to accept these people, and god willing, pray for more tear gas.
TWINS GI JOE PROBLEM...
