Game 14 – Warrior Wishes Come True In New Orleans!

So far this season we have made Warrior Wishes come true at 13 NFL games through the first 5 weeks of the season! Its been an honor to have met all the warriors & Gold star families, hear their stories & show them that their service and sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. We are truly thankful for them and everyone who has helped support our mission along the way.

For $19.99, My dad flew from Chicago to Atlanta Wednesday night to catch a $1 overnight bus to New Orleans where we kicked off week 6 in the “Big Easy” making Warrior Wishes come true at the Saints game.

Here are some of our favorite memories of making Warrior Wishes come true in New Orleans.

Today we had the honor of hosting Army Warriors Jeremiah Christy, Felix Jackson & Navy Warrior Brandon Tabor. (Meet the Warriors below)

My dad met up with Jeremiah, his mom & Cookie Dalgo (our 2013 Saints guest) at the Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in La Place, LA before the game. The swamp tour is a MUST DO when visiting New Orleans.

Cajun Pride Swamp Tours is a privately owned wildlife refuge just 25 miles from New Orleans. The unique authentic swamp tour takes you down a privately owned swamp & ensures that your narrated tour will not be disturbed by other boats. Their native Cajun Captains are all natural…homegrown in the Bayous of South Louisiana. With accents and humor they will take you back to the early days of Louisiana bayou and swamp explorations through the primitive beauty of the moss-draped cypress trees and show off the American Alligator and abundant wildlife. Experience gators up-close in their natural habitat, but watch out for “big boy”! It’s an experience you will never forget!

After the Swamp tour with the warriors, we made our way back downtown for dinner & met up with Felix & Brandon at the Pelican bar located inside the Sheraton Hotel just a few blocks away from the stadium. Named in honor of Louisiana’s most visible symbol and state bird, the Pelican Bar is reminiscent of a French Quarter courtyard with its magnificent tiered fountain, lavish landscaping and hand detailed wrought iron. It was the perfect place to unwind and embrace the ambiance of New Orleans while getting the know the warriors.

Our friend Ben AKA Cyborg Saint, (a member of the PFUFA) went above and beyond to help us honor the warriors in NOLA. Not only did he host us at his tailgate, but he also gave each warrior an autographed football signed by the entire 2014 Saints team & reached out to his network of friends to let them know about our mission and they donated their tickets to the warriors for the game. We cannot thank them enough for their generosity and support!

The warriors were treated to some of the best seats in the house surrounded by some of the Saints most passionate friends thanks to Ben & and his friends. The 1-4 Saints surprised everyone when they went on to beat the undefeated Falcons! The win was the icing on the cake of a great day filled with warrior wishes coming true!

We would like to thank Cajun Pride Swamp tours for providing an unforgettable Swamp experience, The Pelican Bar at the Sheraton New Orleans for providing Dinner before the game, Ben and all of his friends who donated their time and tickets to help us make the warriors experience special, New Era for providing Saints Caps for the warriors & most importantly we would like to thank Jeremiah, Ben & Felix for their service & sacrifices.

TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE!

My Dad Will be flying back to Chicago for a day before heading out to New York & Philadelphia to make Warrior Wishes come true at the Jets & Eagles games this weekend.

MEET THE WARRIORS

NAVY WARRIOR BRANDON TABER

Brandon Taber was born in South Bend, Indiana. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1996 & completed 7 deployments including 2 in Afghanistan over his 16 year military career. Brian was medically retired in 2012 and currently resides in Pensacola, Florida.

ARMY SFC JEREMIAH CHRISTY

SFC Christy enlisted in the Army on 05 January 1999 as an E-1. Attended basic training at Fort Jackson SC. Upon graduation he was transferred to Fort Eustis for AIT training to become an Aircraft Powertrain repair man.

Christy was transferred to 1st Squadron 4th Cauvery from 1999 to 2002. Then to Fort Hood 404 Division Aviation Support Battalion from 2002 to 2005 during which he was deployed to Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004 for the invasion of the war.

In January 2005 he left active duty and joined the Army Reserves assigned to the 3rdBattalion 348th infantry regiment. He was mobilized from 2007 to 2012 in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010 he reclassed to a Combat Medic. He is currently serving as a Platoon Sargent.

ARMY WARRIOR FELIX JACKSON