Game 26 – Warrior Wishes Come True In Jacksonville!
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Immediately following making Warrior Wishes come true at the Monday night game in Cincinnati, my dad & our friend Bill drove overnight to get back home so my dad could spend some much needed time hanging out with family & for sleep in his own bed, but I accidentally locked him out of the house & he ended up sleeping on a rocking chair in the garage….
Xander was so excited to have his grandpa back for the day & played with G-Pa all day long on Tuesday.
Wednesday morning my dad was back on the road. I dropped him off at O’hare at around 4:45am to catch his flight to Orlando. I know you’re wondering why he flew to Orlando? There is no NFL team there… He flew to Orlando because I scored $40 airfare. It was much cheaper than flying straight to Jacksonville.
Here are some of our favorite memories from making Warrior Wishes come true in Jacksonville.
My dad spent the entire day in Orlando soaking up the sun & even bumped into Darryl Strawberry before jumping on an overnight megabus to Jacksonville for $1.
My dad arrived in Jacksonville to pouring down rain at around 2:30am Thursday morning. He declined my offer to get him a hotel & found himself resting on a bench under a bridge to get some rest and finalize all the plans for the day.
For our 26th game this season, We had the honor of making Warrior Wishes come true for Army SGT Mike Gieger & the Gold Star family of SSG Darren Hubbell at the Jaguars game. (Meet the warriors below)
Jacksonville Sports Tavern was the perfect place to meet up with the warriors and get to know them before heading to the stadium for the game. The tavern is located just outside Everbank field. It’s the place to be before and after Jaguars games. We would like to thank the Tavern for hosting us and providing delicious pregame food and drinks for the warriors and thier families.
We would also like to thank the Jacksonville Jaguars for going above and beyond to make these Warrior Wishes come true. The Jaguars provided tickets and suite passes to give the ultimate Jaguars gameday experience!
They also helped us arrange a meeting with the one and only Jaxson De Ville, the Jaguars mascot. SSG Hubbell’s grandaughter had requested to meet him.
Thankfully the rain stopped before game time. The Jaguars wearing thier all gold “color rush” jerseys pulled out the win late in the 4th quarter after returning a punt to the 5 yard line and scoring a touchdown on the very next play. It was a memorable way to end a memorable day.
These Warrior Wishes came true thanks to the Jaguars, Jacksonville Sports Tavern, New Era Cap & supporters like you!
TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE!
My Dad is on his way to catch an overnight $1 megabus to Atlanta to catch a flight back to Chicago to spend a few more days at home before heading out to Baltimore & Boston this weekend to make Warrior Wishes come true at the Ravens & Patriots games. I will also be back in action this sunday hosting a Gold Star family at the Bears game.
MEET THE WARRIORS
ARMY SGT MICHAEL GIEGER
Michael Gieger served in the United States Army for 8 1/2 years as a 31B which is the Military Police. During his time in the Army he rose to the rank of Sergeant. While Gieger was in high school he joined the Army JROTC and knew that the military was something he wanted to be a part of.
3 weeks after graduating he started basic training and says he made one of the best choices in his life. While in the Army Michael was able to be a part of so many great experiences. He served on his first deployment in 2002 in support of SFOR 11 in Bosnia. That was his first time out of the country and he loved being able to experience not only another culture but also connect so closely with the other Soldiers in his unit.
Gieger says “There are not many other jobs that you can have where you bond so closely with those you work with. The military is truly a family.”
Sgt Gieger also served on 2 deployments to Iraq & 1 to Korea. The most important position he held in the Army was during his second tour in Iraq. Michael was a Squad Leader in his unit and being a leader in a combat zone is one of the biggest responsibilities a person can have.
The memories Gieger made from his time in the Army will always be something he cherishes and looks at with pride. He says he was lucky to spend time with some of the finest Soldiers and Leaders in the military.
Sgt Gieger always thought he would remain in the Army for life but was honorably discharged in 2009 & became a full time dad. Michael is a proud father of three boys.
SGT Gieger was thankful for the opportunity to take his son Mikie to his first NFL game to see his favorite team play. It was an honor to host him and his son and make this Warrior Wish come true!
ARMY SSG DARREN HUBBELL
Darren Patrick Hubbell Sr. served in the Army for 14 years. His last post was at Ft. Stewart, Ga. He was a Senior Line Medic with 1-64AR 2BCT 3dID. He LOVED it! Hubbell had served on deployments to Panama and Iraq to 4 times (Desert Storm, OIF 1, OIF 3 and OIF 5). His passion was the Army and his family. Darren was a history buff, an avid computer game player, football fan—Florida all the way! Jaguars and Gators, loved the beach and spending time with his kids.
In January 2007, his son, Darren Jr deployed to Iraq. May 2007, Darren Sr also deployed to Iraq. They were about two hours from each other. On June 20, 2007, SSG Darren P. Hubbell Sr. made the Ultimate Sacrifice when an IED detonated. He was Killed In Action with 3 others.
SSG Hubbell’s family misses him tremendously but remembers to celebrate his life daily. It was an honor to host his family at the Jaguars game in his honor and help keep his legacy alive.
