Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona promoted to lieutenant in Navy

New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy during an event Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

"Congratulations to Lieutenant Joe Cardona on his promotion," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. "And obviously a day to remember our World War II veterans on D-Day. The 75th anniversary, that's kind of a big one for us. I want to recognize all the things that they did."

Cardona, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a four-year NFL veteran, was promoted from lieutenant junior grade.

The 27-year-old, who hasn't missed a game in his career despite his active-duty commitments, received high praise from Tom Brady.

"It's pretty emotional when you see someone take the oath like that and raise his hand," Brady said. "It's a big commitment Joe's made, and I think Joe has done it very proudly and does a great job educating a lot of us on what it means to him. I think we all appreciate that.

"We see the work he does here for us, but also the work he does for our country. I've talked to Joe a lot over the years about what his roles and responsibility are and I think everyone is proud of his accomplishments."