SHAMOKIN (Tribune News Service) — A controversial political decision regarding a Colorado high school football team's plans to honor fallen military personnel has had an impact 1,600 miles away in Shamokin.

The late U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew J. Sandri, a Shamokin native killed in a rocket attack near Fallujah, Iraq, was among those to be honored by the team from Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins.

Individual players' last names were to be replaced on specialized camouflage jerseys with the last names of fallen service members of the U.S. armed forces for a one-night event Oct. 15. The team's booster club paid for the jerseys. The memorial was to culminate months-long lessons into America's military, including military training and sacrifices paid by service members.

The Poudre School District board initially barred the gesture, saying it would establish precedent allowing teams to honor groups other than the military in the same way. It also cited national uniform standards. The decision caught the attention of the national press, including The Associated Press and Fox News.

However, a compromise was reached allowing the team to wear an American flag patch above the numbers on the backs of jerseys, according to The Coloradoan. Service members' names would be included in the patch.

"Sometimes a little pressure from the public can make public officials have a second thought," said Bob Sandri, of Shamokin, Sgt. Sandri's father. "For what the whole thing was all about it sounds like a good thing to me," he said of the compromise.

The Sandri family was contacted by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) about participating in Fossil Ridge's memorial. Bob and Annette Sandri believed in its merits, with the former having an hour-long talk with a player about the life of Sgt. Sandri, who was a combat medic with the 82nd Airborne Division.

They spoke about Matt Sandri's personality and what he was like as a high-schooler. They also spoke about his service, including the first time he saw action.

Sgt. Sandri had been deployed to Afghanistan as "the new guy" with his company. He was assigned a night mission early on, supporting a perimeter patrol. Regarded as a boring assignment by some men involved, one of the two Humvees drove over what's believed to have been a land mine. The vehicle was destroyed, an Iraqi interpreter was severely injured, and three paratroopers were banged up. Sgt. Sandri stayed calm and treated the wounded. He did his job and earned respect.

The high school footballer retold the story to his teammates during a team building hike this off-season, Sandri said. Teammates did the same, sharing stories they learned from their own individual assignments.

"Aside from the political imbroglio, which I think is a minor detail and sort of a distraction to this terrific program, I'm extremely proud that Matt's a part of it," Bob Sandri said.

The Sandris have received an invitation to visit Colorado and attend Fossil Ridge's Oct. 15 game.

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