John Terry and club chairman Bruce Buck last night hosted a special Tickets for Troops dinner at Stamford Bridge, where they paid tribute to Britain's Armed Services.
Terry, who lifted the Premier League trophy on Sunday, spoke at length with members of the Medical Regiment of the Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade, and also met with Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC before settling down to dinner in Marco.
'We all picked up a medal for winning the Premier League but these young men and women deserve a medal every day for the courage they show,' said Terry. 'They are inspirational to us all.'
The evening was organised and hosted by Buck, who believes it is important clubs like Chelsea show their support for such initiatives.
'This was an easy thing and an obvious thing for us to do, the real heroes are out in Afghanistan and Iraq, they're not really at Chelsea Football Club, and all of us have an obligation to do whatever we can to make their jobs easier,' he said.
'This is a way for us to help Tickets for Troops and thank the people that have been generous to them.'
Tickets for Troops chairman Lord Marland saw the evening as a fitting tribute to the Services.
'It was set up because we felt the nation as a whole wanted to show gratitude and understanding for what our troops do,' he explained. 'One of the first people I called was Bruce Buck, a very good friend of mine, and Chelsea have led the Premier League in persuading others to give us tickets and started it rolling.
'It's not just about football, troops can go to theatrical shows, rugby games, the world darts, the world snooker, concerts at the O2, loads of events, and not just in London. It is very humbling, we feel good about doing it and that's very important. All we've done is captured the mood of the moment to support our troops, and it's a wonderful thing to be involved in.'
On the night, Terry was delighted to meet with Lance Corporal Beharry VC (as pictured top), who explained how servicemen and women feel about the scheme.
'Speaking for the guys on the ground, I never received a package or a letter from anyone, every now and then someone receives a box with things in, and the whole team looks forward to it, it's similar to Tickets for Troops,' he said.
'You have access to a computer and you can go online and apply for that ticket. Knowing you are actually getting a ticket, it's all you think about, you know when you finish your tour you are going to a game, or the opera, it is something to look forward to because all day you have nothing else.'
Tickets For Troops was launched last year and the charity is dedicated to providing free tickets for the Armed Services.
Terry also posed with a giant England ticket to mark the Football Association's decision to dedicate the last friendly before the World Cup between England and Mexico on May 24 to Tickets For Troops.
Terry, who lifted the Premier League trophy on Sunday, spoke at length with members of the Medical Regiment of the Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade, and also met with Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC before settling down to dinner in Marco.
'We all picked up a medal for winning the Premier League but these young men and women deserve a medal every day for the courage they show,' said Terry. 'They are inspirational to us all.'
The evening was organised and hosted by Buck, who believes it is important clubs like Chelsea show their support for such initiatives.
'This was an easy thing and an obvious thing for us to do, the real heroes are out in Afghanistan and Iraq, they're not really at Chelsea Football Club, and all of us have an obligation to do whatever we can to make their jobs easier,' he said.
'This is a way for us to help Tickets for Troops and thank the people that have been generous to them.'
Tickets for Troops chairman Lord Marland saw the evening as a fitting tribute to the Services.
'It was set up because we felt the nation as a whole wanted to show gratitude and understanding for what our troops do,' he explained. 'One of the first people I called was Bruce Buck, a very good friend of mine, and Chelsea have led the Premier League in persuading others to give us tickets and started it rolling.
'It's not just about football, troops can go to theatrical shows, rugby games, the world darts, the world snooker, concerts at the O2, loads of events, and not just in London. It is very humbling, we feel good about doing it and that's very important. All we've done is captured the mood of the moment to support our troops, and it's a wonderful thing to be involved in.'
On the night, Terry was delighted to meet with Lance Corporal Beharry VC (as pictured top), who explained how servicemen and women feel about the scheme.
'Speaking for the guys on the ground, I never received a package or a letter from anyone, every now and then someone receives a box with things in, and the whole team looks forward to it, it's similar to Tickets for Troops,' he said.
'You have access to a computer and you can go online and apply for that ticket. Knowing you are actually getting a ticket, it's all you think about, you know when you finish your tour you are going to a game, or the opera, it is something to look forward to because all day you have nothing else.'
Tickets For Troops was launched last year and the charity is dedicated to providing free tickets for the Armed Services.
Terry also posed with a giant England ticket to mark the Football Association's decision to dedicate the last friendly before the World Cup between England and Mexico on May 24 to Tickets For Troops.
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