Syracuse Crunch Hockey Players Visit MEPS on Hancock Field Published April 2, 2013 By Paul J. Salvatore 174th Attack Wing Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York -- Two members of the Syracuse Crunch professional hockey team recently visited the Syracuse Military Entrance Processing Station here to witness local young men and women as they took the oath of enlistment for the Armed Forces. The event provided an opportunity for the players to witness the enlistment oath ceremony and meet with the new service members and their families. The event, part of the Syracuse Army Recruiting Battalion partnership with the Syracuse Crunch, represents the depth of community involvement at the MEPS. The players, right winger J.T. Brown and defenseman Matt Taomina, enjoyed meeting the newly enlisted service members and their families. It represented an opportunity to show their support and appreciation for the men and women serving in our Nation's Armed Forces. The Syracuse Crunch is a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. The Syracuse MEPS is responsible for ensuring that each new member of the Armed Forces--including Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard--meets the high mental, moral and medical standards required by the Department of Defense. Unlike the traditional image of the drab "Induction Station" known by previous generations of service members, it represents the state of the art in testing, examining and processing applicants for enlistment into the Armed Forces. The Syracuse MEPS moved from the federal building in downtown Syracuse to its new facility on Hancock Field in June 2007.