Army veteran, Cory Geisler, had the time of his life getting to attend the Super Bowl LVI for free to honor his service.
“It’s a memory I’ll never forget and I’m so grateful that me and my wife had this incredible opportunity,” he said.
Geisler was Staff Sergeant and served in the Army for 7 years, spending 15 months in Iraq. He currently works as the Commercial Sales Effectiveness Coach for Batteries Plus, but volunteers with the VFW serving as its Wisconsin VFW State Director.
Every year, the USAA honors 10 veterans by inviting them and a guest of their choice to attend the Super Bowl.
The national commander in chief for the VFW reached out to Geisler to offer him two tickets, and his answer was a no-brainer.
“When he reached out to me, it was definitely a surprise because this is something I would think the national commander would want to go to, but he chose to give it to me,” Geisler said. “And it’s also very humbling that he would think of me out of 52 department heads.”
Geisler and his wife flew out two days before the Super Bowl and spent time at the Los Angeles convention center and spent time at the USAA Salute to Service Lounge.
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Every couple of hours, NFL players would come to say hello to Geisler and tell him what the military meant to them.
Geisler said he really enjoyed meeting Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt because he found out that the linebacker used to live 10 minutes from his house in Wisconsin.
“I got a picture with him and we spent time chatting about places he would go to in the area and that was pretty cool,” he said.
But the real excitement came when Geisler had an on-field experience with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Every year, the USAA pairs the veteran with an active NFL player.
“To be quite honest, I thought it would be some second or third-string player that I’d never heard of,” he said. “So when they called and said it would be Josh Allen, it was quite the news and a great experience getting to meet and chat with him.”
Geisler said he was very impressed that Allen took the time to come meet with him because he wasn’t otherwise going to attend the game.
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“Active NFL players don’t ever go to the Super Bowl unless they are in the Super Bowl,” he said.
Geisler also had the opportunity to go to the NFL pregame tailgate, in which he said he saw many celebrities. Although Geisler was mainly there at the Super Bowl for fun, the Chicago Bears fan was rooting for the Bengals.
“They were the underdogs so it would have been cool to see them come out on top,” he said.
The veteran said it’s humbling that the USAA hosts veterans every year for the Super Bowl.
From being in Iraq and doing route reconnaissance and convoy escort duty, to sitting in great seats at the Super Bowl, Geisler is proud to have not only served his country, but to have had the experience of seeing the excitement of the Super Bowl.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s something I will always remember and be grateful for,” he said.
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