Retired 9/11 First Responder Just Won The Lottery Because.....AMERICA

Time-  "Everything is beautiful now," Carmelo Mercado says.

A retired firefighter with a serious lung ailment has won $5 million in the New York lottery.

Carmelo Mercado, 63, won the top prize in the Cash X100 scratch-off lottery ticket, according to CNN. “Everything is beautiful now,” he said.

Mercado retired from Battalion 49 in Queens after serving at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks. A doctor advised him to give up firefighting in 2004 because of the serious damage that work had done to his lungs.

Since then, he’s dedicated his life to his four children and plays the New York lottery regularly.

Mercado wasn’t so lucky the first time he tried Cash X100. But when he noticed that the next ticket was No. 25, the inverse of his birth year, he thought he’d give the scratch-card game another shot, CNN reports.

“I went down three rows and I thought it said 5,000,” he said, describing the moment he began scratching the winning lottery card. “And then there was another comma and then I saw the other three [zeros]. I said, Holy mackerel! That looks like $5 million!”



Honestly, there isn't even a single joke to tell here. Just awesome, awesome stuff. Not a big religion guy, but don't tell me something superhuman isn't at work when an actual hero wins the lottery the day before the 4th of July. 95% of lottery winners have no teeth, track marks, and a meth lab with a mattress that they call home. To find someone that truly deserves $5 million during a weekend where we should be acknowledging the military, fire fighters, and police force (most of the time) that keep this country safe is absolutely poetic justice. Don't forget to have a drink (or 20) tomorrow for those that passed away during the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. Also, take a second to stop staring at the slut in the red, white, and blue halter top and think about Carmelo and everybody else that allows you to safely be a degenerate. They're the real MVP's. We are all truly lucky to be Americans, but never forget that sometimes it comes at a cost. Cheers Carmelo, and bottoms up everybody!