Saturday will be a special night at McMahon Stadium for more than just the battle between the top teams of the CFL’s East and West divisions.

The Stampeders will be honouring Canadian military as well as police and fire first responders for Heroes’ Night.

Special recognition will be given to these brave men and women before and during the game, and they will also be participants in a few of the fun activities during TV timeouts.

It’s recognition that hits home with Stamps receiver Spencer Armstrong.

“I was in the US Air Force for five years,” says the speedy wideout. “Plus another four in active duty as an officer. My dad is also in the Canadian army and is currently deployed in Afghanistan.”

Armstrong appreciates how these brave men and women put their lives on the line every day to protect the liberty and freedoms Canadians enjoy.

“I can’t say enough about the military,” he said. “I had a great time in it and I have a lot of respect for them.”

One of Armstrong’s teammates has a special military connection, too.

Micah Johnson’s father is a retired colonel in United States army.

As a child, Johnson watched the way his father dealt with the responsibility of having the lives of others in his hands.

“One of the things I always respected about my dad is the amount of responsibility that he always had on his plate,” says Johnson. “It really caused you to put things into perspective.”

Having a tremendous responsibility such as a person’s life in your hands is what police, firefighters and military deal with on a daily basis.

Their efforts are often taken for granted. That’s what makes Heroes’ night all the more important.

“I think it’s very important. It’s something that quite often gets overlooked,” says Johnson whose father and mother will be visiting Canada for the first time to see their son in action live.

“They have been streaming all the games back home and catching them whenever they can. They know all the players, so they can’t wait to meet them as well.”

While Armstrong, Johnson and the rest of the Red and White will be fighting to keep their four-game win streak alive, they also hope a victory will be a nice token of their appreciation for all the hard work of the brave men and women of the military and first responders for all they have done, especially during the June flood.