An Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran became part of NFL Draft history on April 23 when he was selected to fill out the official draft card for this year’s No. 1 overall pick.
Nearly a hundred other service members were on hand at USAA’s Salute to Service Draft event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Vohn Arnold was chosen to fill out the card, naming Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the Las Vegas Raiders’ pick.
“It means a ton,” said Arnold in a USAA Instagram post. “I’m a big football fan. I’ve been watching the draft since I was little. It’s one of my favorite things I look forward to.”
According to USAA, Arnold currently serves in the 128th Brigade Support Battalion and has over nine years of service in the Army and the Pennsylvania National Guard.
“I’m such a big fan, when I was in Iraq, against better judgment, I was standing on top of a roof in the middle of Kirkuk with my phone listening to the broadcast just so I could hear it,” he said.
USAA has been an official NFL Salute to Service partner since 2011.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
