From a friend.
Vinnie Testeverdes
Back in 2011, friends, my family and I were celebrating my induction into the USSOCOM Hall of Honor at a local Tampa restaurant. There was a man and his family sitting in a booth about three sections away from us. We were telling stories about our Spectre days and the man kept looking at us and we could not figure out why. When he and his family were done, he walked up to us and said "you guys were in the military...right?" I said "yes sir" and he smiled. He then said, "dinner is on me...I have taken care of it for you." I laughed and said "you are joking, right?" He said "no, I am serious, I took care of it and tipped your server too. Don't forget to order desert, and thanks for your service." He then walked away with a smile, not saying another word. We were dumbstruck as he and his family walked out the door. We had no idea who he was and our server would not tell us, but confirmed he had indeed paid the bill (which was about $300 total). When our server left, we asked another server who he was and she told us "that's Vinny Testeverde, the NFL quarterback ...he comes in here all the time." Wow! I thought. What a kind gesture on his part...and he did not want to be recognized, he just wanted to thank some military guys he did not know. Of course, once we knew who he was, I came back to my shop and polished and engraved a 105mm brass and personalized it for him "Vinny, Thanks...from the Gunners." I then sent it my friends in Tampa who knew someone who would get it to him. We never knew if he actually got it or not...until now. What is cool is Vinny is seen in the video interview holding the brass and telling them it is one of his favorite keepsakes. WOW!...I repeat...WOW! Now that's one cool story. For those interested, his comments and the brass can be seen at the 1.40 mark.
Vinnie Testeverdes
