You hear the term “hero” thrown around a lot at the poker tables; poker heroes and hero calls. But in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Room, at least one man earned that title and it wasn’t because of his poker game.

Jack Appel is a 96-year-old veteran of World War II and was among those who took part in the European campaign. Barely out of his teens, he was a member of the Signal Corp attached to the U.S. First Army and landed on the beaches of Normandy in the summer of 1944.

By the end of that year, Appel was in Belgium with the First Army during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front. Later, he and the Signal Corp were among the first to arrive and liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.

More than 75 years after D-Day, Appel prefers the much smaller risks of the poker table. He has some tournament cashes to his credit but joked when asked if he was playing in the RRPO series.

“I don’t have it in me for those long hours,” Appel laughed. “I’ll go back to my $1/$2 games and have some fun.”

Appel has been recognized around the world for his action during the war including a meeting with the President of France, Governor Scott, and Oscar-winner actor Tom Hanks and in 2008 was honored as a Knight of the French Legion of Honor, the highest honor of the French military. A true hero.

Appel can often be found sitting at the poker table, enjoying the company of his competitors and trying his best to take some chips from them along the way.