FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- There are Soldiers down range beating impossible odds on a regular basis. But one Soldier recently assigned to the 10th Mountain Division beat some odds that may make him the wealthiest Army specialist on Fort Drum.
Spc. David Guthrie, a 25-year-old infantryman with 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, received a check in the mail Monday for $45,000 (in lieu of a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe) after winning the AAFES / Burger King-sponsored "Peel Out With Tony Stewart" grand prize.
Guthrie, just days before reporting to his new unit here, had peeled the sticker off of a medium coke in a Burger King at U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza in northern Italy.
"I had never even won a cheeseburger, so I was definitely not expecting to win anything that day," said Guthrie, whose prior assignment was with 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
"There were a lot of people in front of me and lot of people behind," he said. "I just ordered a Whopper Jr. and a medium coke. When I peeled off the sticker, it had a picture of a car on it.
"I sat there in total disbelief," he said.
After a manager verified he won, he mailed everything to a redemption center stateside.
The AAFES / Burger King "Peel Out With Tony Stewart" sweepstakes, which also had an online version of the game, began Jan. 24 and ended March 6.
Only participants with unlimited Exchange privileges were eligible to win from more than $2 million in cash and prizes, including cheeseburgers, gift cards, Xbox 360 games and a VIP Race Day Experience for four with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
The message for customers who did not win read: "Sorry, Tony Smoked You. Try Again."
Guthrie claimed the grand prize for the European Exchange Region. Two other grand prizes existed in the Pacific / Asia Exchange Region and the Continental U.S. Exchange Region.
Vincent James, Fort Drum Exchange manager, said it's rare to see a story about someone who actually won a sweepstakes grand prize. He said the lesson Exchange shoppers should take from Guthrie's experience is to not doubt the possibilities of an instant-win game.
"To win, it takes someone taking the time to peel back that sticker. Some people don't pay attention to it and just throw it in the trash," James said. "Well, during these events, your trash is not trash; it could be a cash prize. If you hear there is a game going on at BK, check your sticker. You never know, you might be a winner."
"Peel Out With Tony Stewart" winners at Fort Drum received everything from food to Xbox games to $50 cash prizes, according to Ron Deluca, Fort Drum Burger King manager.
Deluca echoed the idea that some customers never claimed their winning ticket.
"When Soldiers come in here for lunch, this place gets mobbed," he said. "They eat, grab their tray and just fling everything into the trash. And even though there's a contest, they come in here hungry and may not be (paying attention)."
According to Exchange officials, all three grand prizes were claimed, and each winner elected to receive the $45,000 cash prize in lieu of the Corvette.
Guthrie, who is single, said he plans to invest the majority of his winnings.
"I'm still trying to figure out how much they're going to take out in taxes," he said. "I will use some of it on my Family."
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