Game 42 – The Jaguars Make Warrior Wishes Come True!
It’s been a crazy few weeks for my dad. Last week he made Wishes come true in Dallas on Thursday, bussed to Houston Friday, Bussed to New Orleans Saturday, made Wishes come true at the Saints game Sunday, found out he missed his flight due to a schedule change so called an audible and flew to Chicago Sunday night to catch a bus to Cincy where he made Wishes come true at the Bengals game Monday & finally got a couple days of rest Tuesday & Wednesday.
Then he kicked this week off on Thursday in Atlanta making Wishes come true at the Falcons game, bussed to DC on Friday, bussed to Philly Saturday & hosted a huge group of warriors in the snow at the Army Navy game. Immediately following the Wild game he was on a flight to Charlotte to catch a connecting flight to Jacksonville where he is hosted warriors at the Jaguars game.
My dad arrived in Jacksonville at around midnight. He rested up & got a few hours of sleep at the airport before meeting up with our friend, Erick Millette. Erick was one of the first guests of our original mission in 2012. My dad really enjoyed catching up with Erick over breakfast before heading to the stadium.
Today we were honored to be hosting Army SGT Erick Millette, Army SGT Jeff Taylor & Navy Veteran Isaac Malone at the Jaguars game.
Over the years we have made some unforgettable memories making Warrior Wishes come true in Jacksonville. Here are some of our favorite moments!
As usual, my dad met up with all of the warriors just outside the stadium in front of the giant Jaguar. Erick’s friend, Navy Chief Lou Dougherty also joined our group & enhanced everyone’s experience by setting up a little tailgate with Burgers, Brats & Beers.
After introductions a few photos and a great little tailgate, everyone made their way to the stadium for a special surprise. As always, the Jaguars went above & beyond to make wishes come true. Today they invited the warriors to help hold the giant American flag on the field for the national anthem!
This was a once in a lifetime experience that the warriors were really excited about everyone had to be inside the stadium early to practice with the flag. Isaac’s wife and Jeff’s 23 year old son also got to hold flag.
After they were done practicing, my dad and the rest of Isaacs family made their way into the stadium to watch the warriors take the field with the flag for the National Anthem. This was pretty exciting for all, especially the kids watching their dad hold the flag on the field!
The warriors eventually made their way to their seats to watch the Seahawks & Jaguars kick off in a very important game for both teams who were fighting to make the playoffs. The game started out slow and looked as if it was going to be a defensive battle. The Jaguars took a 3-0 lead into the half.
The second half was much more entertaining. The Jags scored 3 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter! They added a 4th TD early in the 4th quarter to take a 27-10 lead. It looked as if the Jaguars were going to coast to an easy win.
But the seahawks were not about to give up. Russell Wilson & his team battled back scoring 2 long touchdowns and in the blink of an eye, the Seahawks were back in the game!
Thankfully in he end, the Jaguars were able to hang on. They beat the Seahawks by the score of 30-24 & sent the warriors home happy Another successful “Mission Accomplished!”
Operation Warrior Wishes would like to thank Dave and Chad at the Jaguars for donating tickets, Kyle and Mike at the Jaguars for providing the warriors with a once in a lifetime experience holding the flag on the field during the National Anthem presentation & we also want to thank Erick Millette & Lou Dougherty for providing nice tailgate before the game as well as New Era for providing Jaguars caps to the warriors!
TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE!
Most importantly, we want to thank Erick, Lou, Jeff & Isaac for their service and sacrifices to our country!
Immediately following the game, my dad made his way across town to the Greyhound station to catch an overnight bus to Miami. He will be making Wishes come true at tomorrow’s Dolphins game! Stay tuned for more details!
