The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute to Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Litscher during Monday night's game against the Rams for 'Operation Fan Mail'.
Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, is marking its 16th season this year.
Litscher grew up in Baraboo, Wis., and had ambitions to become a pilot from a young age, hoping to fly stealth bombers or Blackhawk helicopters when he grew up. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and completed basic and infantryman training. In 2004 and again in 2009, he was deployed to Iraq as an infantryman for more than a year each time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
In 2011, Litscher and his wife, Ashley, moved to Ft. Rucker, Alabama, for two years so Litscher could complete his training to fly Blackhawk helicopters. Following his training, the family moved back to Wisconsin, and Litscher began flying with the Blackhawk Unit out of West Bend. Ashley has been a proud supporter of his military career and his dream to become a pilot. Along with her husband's busy schedule and deployments, she has worked full-time at her own career and taken care of their home and later, their three young daughters.
In 2017, Litscher was deployed to Afghanistan for 10 months, this time as a pilot. He flew many missions to take injured soldiers out of combat zones to the nearest medical facilities and save lives.
In 2020, while continuing to serve in the Wisconsin National Guard, Litscher was working full-time as a commercial pilot. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and airline travel slowed down, he assisted the Wisconsin National Guard with COVID testing and data collection and was offered the opportunity to fly full-time for the National Guard in Madison. He went back to flight school to transition from flying Blackhawk helicopters to flying a fixed wing C26, and currently flies military charters.
A lifelong Packers fan, Listcher attended Monday's game with Ashley, his mom, Sue Stoddard, and stepdad, Brad Stoddard. Their family also includes Litscher's daughters, Ali, Addi and Stella, and they live Merrimac, Wis.
Operation Fan Mail, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter or sibling. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family or group at each 2022 home game and recognize them on the field during pregame activities. A total of 155 individuals, families or groups have been recognized through the program thus far.
To choose families, the Packers and WPS Health Solutions are asking interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular fan should be saluted next season. Essays can be sent to Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or online at packers.com/lambeau-field/operation-fan-mail.
In addition to being recognized on-field prior to the game, selected families will receive four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card courtesy of WPS Health Solutions.
