Master Sergeant Steven Digby, who will retire in December after more than 20 years in the Air Force, applied through the USO for tickets to the annual Military Day celebration at Eagles Training Camp.
There was just one issue.
He's a Giants fan.
As much as it pained him, he thought of it as the perfect thank-you gift for his wife, Shemar, who is on the right side of the rivalry as a die-hard Eagles fan. The couple recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary and have attended nearly a dozen Eagles-Giants games over the years. In fact, Steven proposed to Shemar at one.
The couple has a 7-year-old son, Jensen, who was born during one of Steven's numerous deployments around the globe. Shemar took advantage of the situation and swaddled young Jensen in Eagles gear, much to the dismay of his father. He's followed in his mother's footsteps, attending his first Eagles game last season when the Super Bowl LIX Championship banner was raised before the triumph over the Cowboys. Jensen could spell "E-A-G-L-E-S" and sing the Fight Song before he knew how to spell his name.
On Wednesday, Steven told Shemar and Jensen that they were attending Saturday's Eagles Training Camp practice. Shemar watches all of the team's social media posts and instantly dreamed of being along the players' entrance to the practice field when Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson yells a hearty "Good morning!" to the fans in attendance.
"Her love and admiration for the Eagles is just something to die for," Steven said.
Steven reached out to the team to share what this day was going to mean for Shemar and Jensen. She was ecstatic at the mere thought of being at the Jefferson Health Training Complex to see her favorite team up close. But the team had something special in store.
Following practice, the Digby family was surprised by All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley. Steven was obviously a fan when Barkley played for the Giants. Barkley is Jensen's favorite player. He is "infatuated" with Barkley to the point where he wears his No. 26 in his football league. The family's most recent addition to the family is a dog named after Saquon.
Barkley spent time with the family, asking Jensen, who plays offensive line, if he was going to block for him in a few years. He posed for photos and took off his special-edition Military Day practice jersey with camo numbers and signed it for the family.
"The men and women here put their lives on the line for us, for our country," running back Saquon Barkley said. "It's awesome to show our thanks to them, to be able to spend time with them and give our jerseys away, this is my third year doing this, but the Eagles have been doing it for how long? It's cool to be a part of this tradition. It shows you what this organization is about. I'm super appreciative of all of the men and women who showed up today, even the ones who are not here, for the things that they do to make sure that we are safe."
The Eagles made sure that Steven didn't leave empty-handed as the social media team presented a Giants Troll doll for him. Steven took the good-natured jabbing in stride as the overall mission was a success. He was able to express his appreciation for the sacrifices Shemar and Jensen have made over the years.
"I have no words," Shemar said. "I thought I was excited when we won the Super Bowl. I've cried a lot of happy tears today.
"Having (Jensen) alone was not super great, but I have a fantastic support system. Knowing what he's doing and the sacrifice he's giving, it makes it easy to hold it down, not stress him out, and let him know everything is fine back home."
