More than 100 wounded service members were treated to a night out in Dallas as part of Seats for Soldiers. Most of the men and women were from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The crowd included men and women on crutches, using canes and in wheelchairs.
"Well, I was super excited," said Army Specialist Mimi Xaysana, who lost her leg in an unexpected battle, bone cancer. "It's nice to be with everyone who has the same problem and just trying to get through it all together."
Xaysana was among the soldiers treated to fine dining at Abacus, followed by courtside seats at the American Airlines Center to watch the Dallas Mavericks take on the Denver Nuggets.
"It feels good that people appreciate us," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcus Moody. "Sometimes it feels like we're a little bit forgotten."
Moody survived two tours in Iraq only to come home and fight a battle with cancer.
"I get up every day smiling," Moody said. "Do the best you can to deal with it."
This is the 12th year Seats for Soldiers has treated military to a night out in Dallas, starting with dinner.
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"We think about this menu as kind of a vehicle to give them a little comfort," said Chef Chris Patrick. "It's a chance for us to give them some of that down home cooking like my grandmother would cook for me when I was a kid."
Then they boarded chartered buses to see the Mavericks play and shake hands with team owner Mark Cuban. While the evening was a thrill, Moody said it's the call to serve that put them in a position to get VIP treatment for one evening.
"If you ask them to do it again, I think 99-percent of them would say 'in a second,'" Moody said of his Army service. "Cause we enjoy it. At least, I always have."
The entire evening was donated, from the American Airlines chartered plane, to the meal at Abacus, to Mavs season ticket-holders giving up their courtside seats for one night.
