Two U.S. veterans who were injured abroad attended Super Bowl LI alongside Vice President Mike Pence.
Marine Staff Sgt. Tony Mannino, 33, who was injured in Iraq, and Army Staff Sgt. Frederick Manning, 50, who was injured in Afghanistan, flew to Houston on Air Force II with Pence and his wife, Karen, and daughter, Charlotte.
Mannino, a Patriots fan, and Manning,, a Falcons fan, were chosen by the U.S. Department of Defense to accompany the vice president on a trip of a lifetime.
“We’ve got Falcons fans. We’ve got a Patriots fans,” Pence said, shaking their hands. “There’ll be a winner on this plane on the way back.”
En route to Houston for Super Bowl LI. Our traveling group includes a serviceman who supports the @AtlantaFalcons & one for the @Patriots. pic.twitter.com/yolh60jvSV
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) February 5, 2017
Pence, a Indianapolis Colts fan, did not pick a side.
“Two great teams,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great game.”
Mannino thought it was a mistake when he received a call informing him of his luck.
“I was like, ‘This is the White House? Are you sure you’ve got the right person?” he told USA Today.
Mannino said he could “barely” sleep the night before because he was “like a kid waiting for Christmas.”
Each veteran was able to bring a guest. Manning brought Army Sgt. First Class Charles Stanley, a nurse at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who had been one of his caretakers, and Mannino brought his wife, Diane.
After the group landed in Houston, they took the vice presidential motorcade to Pappas BBQ.
As Pence posed for photos with restaurant patrons, he happened to stumble across a woman at the diner named Angela Porter, who was wearing a Colts T-shirt.
Anyone who knows the Pence family knows we can't pass up good BBQ. Had to stop by Pappa's in Houston on the way to Super Bowl LI. pic.twitter.com/P0tjYp4A7V
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) February 5, 2017
“We found a Colts fan down here,” Pence said, before ordering a pulled pork sandwich with barbecue sauce.
Just before kickoff, Pence was seen in the stands cheering on former President George H.W. Bush, who performed the coin toss alongside wife, Barbara.
It's a great honor to visit with Former President @GeorgeHWBush & Barbara Bush. Their service to our nation 🇺🇸 is an inspiration to us all. pic.twitter.com/apjzKIwTnr
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) February 6, 2017
After the game, Pence called the New England Patriots’ comeback “incredible” and said he was headed back to Washington, D.C. “with our heroes.”
Headed back to DC on Air Force Two with our 🇺🇸 heroes. Incredible comeback. One of the best Super Bowls ever. Congratulations to @Patriots.
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) February 6, 2017