In the early days of Fedex, founder Frederick Smith was in hot water.
Denied a vital business loan needed keep his fleet flying, Fedex was down to it’s last $5,000. Desperate time’s calling for desperate measures, Smith took a 5000 dollar line of credit to Las Vegas.
In one weekend, he turned $5,000 into $27,000 playing blackjack (Actually $35,000 before losing some and calling it a night). Just enough to foot the $24,000 fuel bill about to hit the business account.
How did he acquire the skills to more than quintuple his cash playing blackjack? In Vietnam of course, from the only Catholic priest and marine ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor: Lieutenant Servant of God Vincent Robert Capodanno.
Frederick Smith explained Father Capodanno was a blackjack master and taught him how to play when Capodanno was his battalion chaplain in Vietnam.
Learn more about how after being established during the Civil War in 1861, since then after all chaplains to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor have been Catholic here.
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