Staff Sgt. Vohn Arnold grew up a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
When the city hosted the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, Arnold didn’t expect to be much more than a spectator. He was just happy to join roughly a hundred other service members at a USAA Salute to Service gathering at a local winery earlier in the day. The event included a Q&A with Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward, one of the team’s captains, and ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes.
Related: This No. 1 overall draft pick became the NFL’s MVP while in the Army
During the event, USAA selected a military member to fill out the draft card for the No. 1 overall pick. After Arnold was chosen for that honor, the Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran was understandably stunned.
“It means a ton,” Arnold said in a video on USAA’s Instagram account. “I’m a big football fan. I’ve been watching the draft since I was little. It’s one of my favorite things to look forward to.”
Arnold has served in the active-duty Army and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for nearly a decade. He is in the 128th Brigade Support Squadron, according to a USAA email regarding the event.
“I’m such a big fan that 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 home broadcast] just so I could hear it,” Arnold said on the video.
Arnold wrote out a card with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s name on it. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell read what Arnold wrote to announce the Las Vegas Raiders’ selection to kick off the draft.
That card is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio—about 50 miles northwest of Arnold’s hometown, Irondale.
Arnold called the moment “wild” and—just like the Steelers’ biggest victories—one he won’t forget.
USAA has been an official NFL Salute to Service partner since 2011.
