Retired United States Army First Class Sergeant Luciano Yulfo was being honored recently at a New York Knicks game in Madison Square Garden when something happened that he was never expecting.
When Yulfo was brought down to the court, he had no idea the team’s Hoops For Troops had a big surprise for him!
During his 36 years in the military, Yulfo served in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He medically retired from active duty in 2014 after he was injured while deployed in Afghanistan. After being injured, Yulfo was stationed at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for 2 years. He finally retired from the military in April of 2016, 36 years after he enlisted.
As soon as Yulfo got back to the U.S., he applied for a service dog to help him deal with the injuries he suffered overseas, but he found himself placed on a waiting list for 18 months. When the Knicks heard about this, they knew they had to do something to help him.
Between quarters, the team brought Yulfo onto the court and gave him a personalized Knicks jersey. They then left him speechless by giving him a new service dog!
An organization called Paws of War trains and places rescue dogs with U.S. military veterans, and they decided to give a dog named Murphy to Yulfo! Each dog is trained specifically for the needs of the individual veteran they are serving, so Murphy is already completely prepared to help Yulfo!
Yulfo was overwhelmed by this gesture and he immediately dropped to his knees to greet the dog. It is clear that these two will be best friends for many years to come!
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Man has been saving up pennies for 45 years – Bank tellers are at a loss for words when he arrives to cash in
“Penny saved is a penny earned” is a saying that people who are good at managing their finances believe to be true.
Otha Anders, a former teacher from Louisiana, had been collecting pennies for a very long time. It all started as a goal of collecting pennies he would find on the street, and it soon turned into a passion he couldn’t say no to. Over the course of 45 years, this man had managed to fill in 15 5-gallon jugs of change before he finally decided to cash the pennies in 2015 when his homeowner’s insurance stopped covering the collection.
Speaking of his achievement which left the clerks at the bank totally stunned, Anders told ABC News: “If I would see a penny when I’m gassing up, on the ground, or in a store, it would be a reminder to stop right there and say a prayer. I never failed to do that. That’s why they had so much value to me.
“I would never spend a penny,” he told USA Today. “I would break a dollar before giving up a penny.
“I wanted to fill five five-gallon water jugs. That was the goal, but I couldn’t stop. … If I hadn’t turned them in yesterday, I was not going to stop,” he said.
Everyone who knows Anders knew of his passion and his collection. Even the kids at the school where he worked. He would sometimes buy pennies from them, but he would never take, not even a single one, without paying for it.
“I never allowed anyone, not even my wife nor children, to give me pennies without being compensated,” he told USA Today. “I wanted the inner satisfaction that God and I acquired this collection.”
When he arrived at the Ruston Origin Bank in Ruston, Louisiana, the staff welcomed him in and were more than happy to assist him. For his stunning collection of pennies, Anders got $5,136.14.
Take a look at the video below to learn more about Anders and his collection.
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