Game 39 – Warrior Wishes Come True In New Orleans!

My dad kicked off week 13 in Dallas making Wishes come true at the Cowboys game.

After the game, he took an overnight bus to Houston & got to see their Christmas tree lighting celebration…

Before catching a 2nd overnight bus from Houston to New Orleans to make wishes come true at the Saints game Sunday afternoon.

My dad arrived In New Orleans on Saturday & surprised Army Sgt Robert Caudill with tickets to the game! Scarlet, Roberts wife, told my dad that her and husband like the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood restaurant. So My dad contacted the manager to set up the surprise and plan the logistics.

My dad grabbed a seat at the bar and waited for the unsuspecting warrior. After Sgt Caudill arrived with his wife & ordered his food, my dad moved in.

Obviously Sgt Caudill had no idea who My dad was seeing that they had never met. But my dad said “didn’t we meet at that hunting trip?”, he replied “oh yeah I remember now.” It was like an episode of impractical jokers & my dad got the thumbs up! When the waitress walked up with their drinks and also delivered a Saints cap, he finally realized what was going on & was excited to learn that he was going to be attending the Saints game!

My dad enjoyed getting to know Rob & his family over a delicious meal. After making plans to meet up for the Sunday afternoon saints game, Rob & his family headed home & my dad headed back downtown to catch the tail end of the New Orleans Christmas Parade.

Eventually he ended up back at the airport to rest up before our big day in New Orleans!

We have made some unforgettable memories making Wishes come true in the Big Easy. Here are some of our favorite moments.

Sgt Caudill, his wife, My dad & Army Spc Jeff Argrave all met up at Walk On’s for lunch before the game. Jeff was actually one of our first guests in New Orleans ever!

His story is incredible. In 2010, Specialist Argrave was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan at Forward Operating Base Wilson. On May 30, 2010 his team was relieving guard when they were attacked by a Rocket Propelled Grenade. Jeffrey was hit in the neck, with shrapnel passing through right below his left ear, and breaking a C-5 vertebra. He was dragged to the medic and told him “If you don’t save me, I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Jeff was medivaced to Kandahar Field Hospital, then to Landstuhl, Germany and finally arrived at Walter Reed Army Hospital on June 4, 2010. Although Jeff was completely paralyzed from the shoulders down, he survived. The RPG did not completely sever his spinal cord, but Doctors told him he would never walk again & was unlikely to recover much at all. Jeff had other plans & was out to prove them wrong.

With a positive attitude, hard work and determination, he got back on his feet & learned to walk again. Jeff is a truly inspiring young man. It’s amazing to see how far he has come since we met him In 2012 & it’s an honor to call him a friend.

Walk On’s Bistreaux & Bar is one of the most popular pregame hangouts. It’s located across the street from the Mercedes Benz super dome. This awesome restaurant was started by 2 college students who “walked on” to the LSU basketball team. In 2015 Saints QB Bought the business & they have been helping make wishes come true ever since! We cannot thank them enough for their support!

Everyone enjoyed some great food drinks & had some pregame fun before the Saints & Panthers kicked things off.

My dad presented the warriors with thank you letters written by kids at Clinton Elementary as well as New Era Saints Caps & they made their way to the stadium. They stopped at a friend’s tailgate to meet some of the Saints super fans on their way inside.

The Panthers & Saints both had a lot to play for. Both teams have played well all season long & are fighting for their spot in the playoffs. Thankfully the Saints cruised to a 31-21 win & gave the warriors much to cheer about!

We would like to thank Joey at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood for helping with the surprise on Saturday afternoon. We also want to thank Amanda at Walk Ons Sports Bar for providing the PreGame Meal on Sunday. Ben AKA Cyborg Saint for the hospitality at your tailgate & New Era for providing Saints caps to the warriors.

TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE!

Most importantly, we want to thankArmy Sgt Rob Caudill, Navy Veteran Scarlett Caudill and Army SPC Jeff Argrave for their service to our country. We salute you!

My dad headed back to the airport to catch his flight to Cleveland where he planned to catch a bus to Cincinnati for the Monday night game. However, the airline changed the flight time to 10am and never sent us any notice! Check back soon to see if he makes it to Cincy tomorrow to make wishes come true at the Bengals game…

It was an honor to host these brave warriors and make their Warrior Wishes come true. If you know a deserving warrior who would love to attend a game on our “All32in17” mission please nominate them today!