An airman in the Pennsylvania National Guard, who served in the war in Iraq, is $100,000 richer, and he credits the number 13 for his winnings.
"I'm not superstitious at all. It's a coincidence that catches the eye," Dave Irwin said.
It's a coincidence that has paid off for Dave, his wife, Brenda; 5-year-old daughter Cheyne; and 2-year old daughter Carly.
Irwin finished 18 months of active duty with the Pennsylvania National Guard in late September, service that included two months on a classified mission to Iraq. He returned to his job of driving a truck, and while making a delivery last month in Schuylkill County, he bought a Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket, and won $100,000, which will be about $75,000 after taxes.
The number 13 played a big role in his story.
"It was 13 days after I got off active duty I bought the ticket. I bought the ticket on the third of October, 10, 3; that's 13. The matching numbers were 13, and I received my check today, which was the 13th," Irwin said.
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