Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Being the Salute to Service award recipient from your respective team is one of the highest off the field honors you can receive, and one Patrick Queen has embraced.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen spent Friday afternoon giving back to those who have served, taking part in the team’s annual Salute to Service weekend by hosting gold star families through T.A.P.S., an experience he described as an honor and profoundly meaningful.
Queen, who has close ties to the military through family and friends, spoke about why the event resonates so strongly with him.
“Yeah, it’s an incredible honor, just having friends, friends of friends, getting to hear stories about that stuff and just knowing people who went through so much,” he said. “It means a lot. It hits home, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to do this and have this opportunity.”
Throughout the event, Queen spent time speaking with veterans families, taking photos, and offering encouragement. Families were given tickets to Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and also individual copies of the banners that have been hung around Acrisure Stadium honoring their loved ones.
For him, dedicating time to service members is not an obligation, it’s something he says he would gladly do far more often.
“Yeah, it’s incredible, just taking however much time out of my day to be able to come do this,” he said. “I’d do it every single week if I could. It’s incredible what they go through and how they’re able to keep moving forward. I know some days are rougher than others, but hopefully this is a bright day in their lives.”
The event also carried deep meaning for the families in attendance. Stephanie Riley Hannon shared an emotional story about her brother, an Air Force Master Sergeant whose love of football connected them across continents throughout his service.
“So for me, this is extremely important because my brother and I would go to Steeler games together, and everywhere he was stationed in the world I’d send him Steeler gear and Steeler hats. He never got rid of the hat, he just retired them in little arrangements, and so it feels really incredible to be able to still share this with him, and this is so awesome.”
Queen also shared how military service has been a constant presence in his life. His uncle served, as have numerous friends and acquaintances, giving him a deep appreciation for the sacrifices service members make.
“Military ties, my uncle actually served, and then I have friends all over,” Queen said. “I’ve got friends of friends who served, so it’s just always been around me. And then now, even more, just getting older, the more people you meet, the more people you find out served, and you get connections through them. You just keep getting stories, and the stories hit. You try to feel for what they go through, and you’ll never understand until you’re in that situation, and hopefully you’re never...
