Game 47 – Warrior Wishes Come True on Thanksgiving in Detroit!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We would like to start this post by thanking all of those who have served, those who are serving, those of you who support the ones serving and those of you who support our mission. We are thankful for you all!

In case you haven’t been following along, let me catch you up to speed. We have been honored to make Warrior Wishes come true at 46 NFL games this season!

This week we are kicking things off on Thanksgiving day in Detroit.

At this point it has become tradition to make wishes come true on Turkey day in Detroit. Since 2012, I think we have only missed one Lions Thanksgiving game. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving day memories.

My dad’s overnight bus was threatened to be canceled due to a lack of a driver, but thankfully Greyhound found someone at the last minute.  He arrived in Detroit a little late, but better late than never. Upon arrival he immediately made his way over to Eastern Market place to meet up with the warriors and tailgate with the “Tubgaters.”

The “Tubgaters” and their friends have one of the best and most unique tailgates in the country. They put on a thanksgiving feast like no other and they have a hot tub!

Today we had the honor of hosting Air Force TSgt Jason Ackley and Marine SSG Steve Vincent at the Lions game.

Jason served on 3 deployments as a heavy equipment operator during his 6 years in the Air Force.

Steve served in the Marine Corps from 1990-1999. He was in the Air Wing and worked in aviation electronics. He has had detachments all over the world. His last one was in Kuwait in 1999. Steve flew in from Portland, Oregon for this experience!

The group enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast, but didn’t bring their swimming trunks, so they did not take a dip in the hot tub before the game…

As game time approached, they made their way over to Ford Field to watch the Bears and Lions things off.

Both teams have struggled throughout the 2019 season. The bears are still holding on hope to make the playoffs, but this was a must win game for them.  The Lions had been fighting injuries all season long and had to rely on their 3rd string Quarterback to get the job done. On host first pass in the NFL, he connected with Kenny Golladay for a 75 yard touchdown!

Although the Lions played well, they ended up coming up a little short in the end as the Bears went on to win 24-20.

Despite the loss everyone enjoyed their experience. We are thankful for TSgt Jason Ackley and Marine SSG Steve Vincent’s service and sacrifices.

After the game my dad made his way to the Amtrak station to catch his first train of the season.

He will be back in action this Sunday making wishes come true at the Colts game. Stay Tuned!