New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy during an event Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
"Congratulations to Lieutenant Joe Cardona on his promotion," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. "And obviously a day to remember our World War II veterans on D-Day. The 75th anniversary, that's kind of a big one for us. I want to recognize all the things that they did."
Cardona, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a four-year NFL veteran, was promoted from lieutenant junior grade.
The 27-year-old, who hasn't missed a game in his career despite his active-duty commitments, received high praise from Tom Brady.
"It's pretty emotional when you see someone take the oath like that and raise his hand," Brady said. "It's a big commitment Joe's made, and I think Joe has done it very proudly and does a great job educating a lot of us on what it means to him. I think we all appreciate that.
"We see the work he does here for us, but also the work he does for our country. I've talked to Joe a lot over the years about what his roles and responsibility are and I think everyone is proud of his accomplishments."
