BOSTON -- There was a heartfelt tribute to our men and women in uniform at Boston's Fenway Park Wednesday as the Air Force celebrated its 60th anniversary.

NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported that the Red Sox also honored military families at the game. Several kids with active duty parents were invited to enjoy the game. Sarah Engroff, of Shirley, had a special treat. She was part of the on-the-field, pre-game ceremonies.

"I'm excited. It's cool," she said.

Sarah's mom is still in training, waiting for deployment to Iraq. The two manage to stay in touch with cell phones.

"We're always like, 'I love you,' and talk about, like, sometimes she'll be on the firing range and she'll be like, 'Hey I'm firing today.' I'll be like, 'Cool,'" Sarah said.

Ryan Holden watched from the bleachers. His stepfather, who is in the Special Forces, is preparing to head to Afghanistan. For Ryan, the visit to Fenway is a bittersweet treat.

"It's really exciting because I'm a big Red Sox fan, but it's kind of sad that he's not here," Ryan said.

The 4-H Club of Massachusetts made 150 seats available for the kids.

"This is an opportunity for us to say thank you to all those military families that are devoting so much of their life to a greater service to their country," said Amy Ohman, of the Massachusetts 4-H Foundation.

"What would your step dad do if he were here?" Boyd asked Ryan.

"He'd probably be drinking a beer and enjoying the game and cheering for the Red Sox," Ryan said.