Army Staff Sgt. Richard Ziedenburg is presented a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune at the Fort Hood Exchange on Oct. 10. Ziedenburg was randomly selected from more than 20,000 entrants to win the Exchange’s Perfetti Van Melle Sweepstakes. Also pictured from left, Ziedenburg’s daughters, Jasmine and Leah, and wife, Miriam.
FORT HOOD – When the Fort Hood Exchange called up Staff Sgt. Richard Ziedenburg to let him know he’d won a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune, he was literally in disbelief.
“I said, ‘Get out of here, I didn’t win any car,’” said Ziedenburg. “I’d entered two months ago, so I’d completely forgotten about it. I contacted the Exchange’s Facebook page, and they got back to me 30 minutes later and said ‘Yeah, you’re the winner.’ After a couple of days it finally kicked in that I’d actually won.”
Ziedenburg was presented with the vehicle, which is valued at $29,395, at the Fort Hood Exchange on Oct. 10, along with his wife, Miriam, and children, Leah, 1, and Jasmine, 6. He was randomly selected from more than 20,000 entrants to win the Exchange’s Perfetti Van Melle Sweepstakes.
The Exchange also threw in a few of surprises bonuses for the Ziedenburgs: two Dynacraft bicycles and two Graco car seats, plus a year’s supply of Mentos and Airheads candies.
“I’ve never had a convertible,” Ziedenburg said. “I think my wife will enjoy it the most, but the family will definitely have fun with it. It’s something different. It’s a very, very unique car to win.”
Ziedenburg, who is currently stationed at Fort Hood, has been in the Army for nine years and has deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait.
“Staff Sgt. Ziedenburg exemplifies the heroism the Exchange is privileged to support by serving the greatest customers in the world,” said Ricky Hurst, Exchange general manager. “We couldn’t be happier to show our gratitude for his service and sacrifice by presenting him with this prize.”
Ziedenburg said he considers the sweepstakes a “blessing.”
“I don’t think people realize the number of prizes the Exchange gives out, and I don’t think enough people enter,” he said. “They’ve given away a motorcycle pretty much every month this year, and I think that’s really cool. Not a lot of places give away that much for free.”
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Army Staff Sgt. Richard Ziedenburg is presented a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune at the Fort Hood Exchange on Oct. 10. Ziedenburg was randomly selected from more than 20,000 entrants to win the Exchange’s Perfetti Van Melle Sweepstakes. To read more, visit http://bit.ly/2yhy6Ie.
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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at https://publicaffairs-sme.com/ExchangePost/ or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Conner Hammett, 214-312-2714 or [email protected].
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