Steelers' Alejandro Villanueva meets with families of fallen soldiers at Pro Bowl

His current employment as the starting left tackle for the Steelers has made Alejandro Villanueva one of the country's highest-profile veterans.

Friday, Villanueva used his status to help bring some light into the lives of military families who have lost loved ones.

Villanueva was a featured guest at breakfast for those benefiting from the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) program. According to a story in the military publication Stars and Stripes , Villanueva posed for pictures and signed autographs for TAPS families who were guests of the NFL at Pro Bowl weekend.

"This is like the biggest deal ever," said Johana Melbert, who lost her husband, Staff Sgt. Jose Melbert, in a motorcycle accident near Fort Lee, Virginia, in 2011.

Villanueva is a former Army Ranger who earned a Bronze Star for valor after serving three tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Read more about the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors organization and its connection to the NFL in the stripes.com story linked above.

Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.