For many veterans, keeping their formal uniforms long after they’ve served is important. But for Jose Pequeno, a 51-year-old from Tampa, Florida, his pristine Marine dress blues carried a little more significance.
Pequeno suffered a devastating injury that nearly killed him while serving in Iraq. He survived but was permanently damaged. Last year, he was crestfallen while preparing to attend a military ball and realized he could no longer wear his sparkling uniform.
“He had outgrown it,” his mother, Nellie, told Fox 13 News in Tampa. “Jose just started crying.”
A Kind Gesture
Despite the heartache, Pequeno’s mother dressed him in his Army uniform (he had joined the National Guard after his time in the Marine Corps), and they decided to attend the event. That’s when another marine stepped in to help…