MADISON, Wis.—Sept. 15, 2022—The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions are paying special tribute this week to Army veteran Adam Gossens and his family in conjunction with the Sept. 18 game against the Chicago Bears. Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marks its 16th season in 2022.
Gossens is originally from Appleton, Wis., and served 20 years in the Army. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., Fort Bragg, N.C., Sembach Air Base, Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Fort Lewis, Wash. He deployed to active war zones six times in his career, fighting in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq (twice), and Afghanistan (twice). He is a triple bronze star recipient.
He has two children: a daughter, Quinn, and a son, Joseph. His wife, Maria, is also an Army veteran; she retired as a master sergeant. Gossens and his family recently moved back to Appleton, where they help care for his ill father.
As the honorees for Operation Fan Mail this week, the Gossens family also received four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card, courtesy of WPS.
The program, 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 Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2022 season home game and recognize the members on the video boards during pregame activities. A total of 150 individuals, families, or groups have been recognized through the program since it began.
The Packers and WPS Health Solutions invite interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family should be saluted this year. Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, or sibling.
Essays can be sent to Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or submitted online at operationfanmail.com.
