Mark Van Eeghen (Former Running Back)

During the Raiders International trip to London, Mark joined fellow alumni and current Raider players to visit the Royal Air Force Mildenhall Base in Suffolk, England to meet and support the troops stationed there. During the visit, Mark engaged with active duty Airmen and their families, passed out Raiders merchandise, posed for pictures and signed autographs at the Community Center. After eating lunch with Airmen, he toured the base's CV22 Ospreys and C130s and met the units assigned to the planes. Mark was presented a commander's coin by the base's commanding officer during the visit. Mark's daughter, Brooke, also served as a Major in the Air Force.

On the Saturday before the Raiders International matchup with the Bears in London, Mark and his fellow alumni welcomed the families of fallen heroes from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to the team's morning walkthrough. Mark spent time with the 45 family members in attendance and toured the group around the team's practice facility in Watford. He spoke to the families and answered questions about his playing days before the team took the field to run through Sunday's scripted play. Each of the team's position groups represented the name of a different fallen hero on the back of their jersey, and after practice the players joined with Mark and the alumni to meet with the families to sign autographs and take pictures.