SAN DIEGO -- A group from the Navy Leap Frogs Demonstration Parachute Team dropped in on PETCO Park's outfield grass about 30 minutes before first pitch Saturday night. One member came in with an American flag, another dropped in with a Padres flag.

Before the Padres hosted the Mets, America's pastime honored America's protectors with Military Opening Night, kicking off a weekend of military-related events and giveaways.

"Me being the son of a Marine for 30 years, it's an even more special day for myself. My dad will be here tonight," said Padres outfielder Dave Roberts. "Unfortunately, it took Sept. 11 for a good part of Americans to appreciate what the military does for us. ... Tonight's a special evening."

It's special in part because, as Padres director of military marketing Captain Jack Ensch (U.S. Navy-Ret.) said, people all around San Diego wear Padres players' uniforms, but on Saturday night, the Padres wore desert camouflage jerseys, a symbolic way of wearing the uniform of the armed forces.

"This is the day they get to salute the military for all the sacrifices they make," Ensch said. "The military is a part of the fabric of the San Diego population -- they make up a large percentage of our fanbase."

Some of those fans were members of the Navy sitting in section 311, high above the field on the first-base line. If they weren't wearing shiny black boots and starched, bright white perfectly creased uniforms, they'd look like normal teenagers or twenty-somethings taking in a baseball game.

They danced along with the music over the loud speakers, cheered with fists high in the air after a double play was made, and ribbed their friend -- a Red Sox fan --about the team's ability to win one World Series title in the last 86 years.

But as members of the armed forces, their lives are far from normal, as are the extraordinary sacrifices they've made and will continue to make. Many of them have already spent time in various places around the world.

It was only a 30-minute pregame ceremony for something that would take a lifetime to say thank you for, but it went a long way in showing members of the military their dedication and willingness to protect this country does not go unnoticed.

"It makes us realize there are still people that appreciate what we do," said Brandon Chappell, a 19-year-old sonar technician for the Navy from Houston as he took in the game.

"We do it with honor," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said of wearing camouflage uniforms to commemorate Military Opening Night. "It's our way to honor what the military does for us."

For all the parallels people make between sports and war, it seems unfair to make a comparison between a game and something that is far from it.

But with their camouflage unis -- a replica of the desert camouflage uniforms the Navy Seals currently use -- and camouflage hats and helmets they gave away to fans this weekend, the Padres used their game to put the spotlight on the American military.

After the parachute team made its entrance into the stadium, the Navy band played the "Star Spangled Banner" with other members of the Navy carrying the 50 state flags.

As they marched off the field in perfect synchronization, the ceremony came to an end, but the appreciation for such selflessness will carry on well beyond the day or this weekend.

Those military members left the field to something so appropriate for those that have dedicated their lives to such a cause: a standing ovation.