The New England Patriots have close ties to the armed forces, but few current members of the organization have been as directly impacted by the military as long snapper Joe Cardona, cornerback Marcus Jones and tight end Matt Sokol. All three grew up with parents in the military, with Cardona himself is currently a Lieutenant in the Naval Reserves.
In honor of Veterans Day, all three sat down to talk about their experiences growing up and how life surrounded by the military has shaped them.
Jones’ father, for example, is a 32-year Army veteran.
“He definitely taught me a lot about military life, and also being a military child being stationed in different places like Fort Campbell, Fort Rucker,” the rookie cornerback said.