OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A former Wisconsin Badger and current NFL player is surprising an Oshkosh veteran with tickets to a big game.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and Pewaukee native, TJ Watt, is awarding disabled Army veteran Adam Alexander with a trip to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
During the trip, Alexander will also get a chance to meet Watt and other NFL stars.
“Being a professional football player requires strength, resiliency, and selflessness – all inspiring characteristics that Staff Sergeant Adam Alexander embodies,” Watt said. “I’m honored to team up with USAA and Disabled American Veterans to give Adam, a fellow Wisconsinite and national hero, the recognition he deserves, and I look forward to meeting him at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.”
Alexander enlisted in the Army Reserves as a Civil Affairs Specialist in 2008 while attending University of Wisconsin – Platteville, eventually achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant in 2012 when his service career ended due to injuries sustained in combat.
In 2011, Adam was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) stationed in province of Paktya, when he was struck in the head by sniper fire during an insurgent attack on his base, leaving him with a 5% chance of survival.
Alexander is a full-time volunteer and father to his one-year-old daughter. He is a devoted member of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 17 in Winnebago County, working as an advocate for veterans’ issues. His responsibilities include engaging local schools, providing testimony to the Wisconsin State Legislature for a bill that would expand eligibility for property tax credits for other disabled veterans, and hosting a half-hour public-access television program – “The Outpost” – providing support and raising awareness for local veterans.
In recognition of his philanthropic achievements, Adam was named DAV’s 2022 Disabled American Veteran of the Year—an award presented to veterans who, despite their wounds, have had a substantial impact in serving their brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
While Alexander is a Green Bay Packers fan, he is excited to go to the big game. He plans to bring his father-in-law, a Vietnam-era Army Veteran with him on the trip.
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