Islanders Donate Ford Truck to Local Veteran

Feelings of thankfulness, joy and nostalgia were emersed in Elmont on Thursday, as the New York Islanders, the Islanders Children's Foundation and Ford teamed up to donate a new Ford F-150 to a local military veteran through the Built Ford Tough Military Tribute.
Dennis Burgos, who won the new Ford truck, started serving in the military at only 18 years old. Burgos served in the Marine Corps on two separate tours, one on a ship in the Indian Ocean for seven months, and another tour in Afghanistan. Burgos is currently an NYPD officer in the emergency service unit and also raises money for boxing gyms in Brooklyn and Staten Island that help children of all ages learn vital skills such as dedication, perseverance and discipline.

Burgos described what it was like finding out that he had won the Ford F150. "I opened the front door and I start getting spoken to and next thing you know, I have an Islanders jersey on and I'm getting taken over to a Ford truck," Burgos said. "[It's] unreal."
Francelia Burgos, Dennis' wife, nominated him for the Built Ford Tough tribute, keeping it a secret for an entire month. She invited a group of friends and family to partake in the surprise, some even bringing home Islanders merch.

"This is super special for him because he would never expect anything like it," Francelia Burgos said. She described how proud she is of her husband, not only for serving, but also for always being there for the people who need him.
"As much as everybody wants to praise him or even thank him, he's not the type of person to tell everyone he was in the military," she said. "He's very humble about it, even in his work now."
John Billard, the chairman of Tri-State Ford dealerships was on-site Thursday as Burgos discovered he had won the new truck.
"Veterans mean a great deal to us," said Billard who also explained that the Built Ford Tough Military Tribute was a priority for Ford and how pairing up with the Islanders made this event possible.
Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky was also on hand to give away the F-150 and reinforced that giving back to veterans was an organizational value.
"We are proud to partner with Ford to shine a spotlight and honor service members, their families and veterans like Dennis, who has sacrificed so much for our country," Ledecky said. "We celebrate our heroes with the Ford military tribute at every home game. It's the least we can do for these brave men and women who protect our freedoms every day. So thank you, Dennis, for your service to our country."