TIERRA VERDE, Fla. — A trip around Mark McCabe’s home office is like taking a step back in history.

McCabe’s decades of military service is all over the walls in his home, on shelves and perfectly curated on special display cases.

The Pinellas County resident has been all over the world, thanks to the military. 

“I came from a military family,” McCabe said. “My dad was killed in Vietnam. I’m a Gold Star family member.”

McCabe began his service at the young age of 18 in the U.S. Navy attached to the Marine Corps, where he spent time providing medical care and first aid to Marines in combat. The Vietnam vet had numerous deployments and earned several awards along the way. Now, McCabe serves as a special advisor working with elderly Vietnam veterans. 

“We represent them to get them through the system,” he said. “If they get denied, we also represent them in front of the court, the Board of Appeals pro bono to get their earned benefits.”

McCabe is a voice for veterans who sometimes struggle to find their own. And for all that he’s done to help so many soldiers and veterans, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rob Gronkowski wanted to thank him with tickets to the Super Bowl. 

McCabe found out about the Super Bowl trip and now he can’t wait to party with Gronk and watch the Kansas Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles vie for the Lombardi Trophy.

“I love his USAA commercials,” McCabe said. “I mean, they make everyone laugh. To me, Gronk is like a big kid.”

McCabe said he doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve all of this. He’s humbled by Gronk’s selection, but he’s also grateful for the platform he’s been given to spread his message about veterans. About a war they will always been fighting.

“This is a war of attrition,” he said. “A war of taking care of our warriors to make sure they become whole again. Our job, and our country’s job, is to get them back and make them whole again, make them right.”