Dragons Hometown Heroes Program to Honor 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year on Tuesday

DAYTON, Ohio -- Isaiah Pleiman, the 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year, will be honored as a “Hometown Hero” at Tuesday’s Dayton Dragons game. This special moment will take place when the Dragons battle the Great Lakes Loons at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

The Dayton Dragons shine the spotlight on the military, past and present, through the Hometown Heroes program. This program hosts military families at every Dragons game, recognizing outstanding military organizations, groups, and individuals.

Isaiah Pleiman: 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year

Isaiah Pleiman is a Religious Affairs Specialist. He’s served in the Ohio Army National Guard since 2018. Pleiman’s main role is assisting the Chaplain in spiritual and emotional support to service members.

In 2022, Pleiman was deployed to a remote base in Syria. Being a front-line location, Pleiman looked to make a difference in the lives of service members who were struggling through their deployment.

Service members with downtime were limited in activities they could participate in as they attempted to escape their everyday duties. Because of this, Isaiah put together game nights, holiday parties, and social gatherings for service members to feel at home.

After partnering with USO, Pleiman grew his vision for supporting deployed members of the military. First, Pleiman built an unstaffed USO Center, creating additional gathering space for service members. He also planned and executed 53 events, including a USO Fun Run, volleyball tournament, game nights, karaoke nights, and more.

With over 1,300 volunteer hours in just five months, Pleiman was named the 2023 USO Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding efforts in supporting fellow service members overseas.

The USO is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the well-being of America’s service members and their families. For more information about Pleiman’s story and how to get involved, visit ohio.uso.org/support/volunteer.

The Dayton Dragons Hometown Heroes program is made possible by the generous support of the Dayton Development Coalition, HII Mission Technologies, Synergy Building Systems and Reynolds & Reynolds.

For more information about the Dragons Hometown Heroes program, visit daytondragons.com/hometownheroes.