Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Joe Cerami

The retired Army Colonel will be honored when Texas Football hosts UTSA on Sept. 17.

Military ethos has been a constant in Joe Cerami's life. As a boy, Cerami observed and respected adults who served in World War II, and he participated in Boy Scouts. When the call came to attend college at West Point, Cerami said he felt like he had "won the lottery."

At the United States Military Academy, the ideals of "duty, honor, and country" were ingrained and also practiced. There Cerami started to learn military leadership, including through Army athletics, which involved teamwork on the "fields of friendly strife."

Cerami advanced to the rank of Colonel during a 30-year Army career that began with…