\tJOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany \u2013 A military police Soldier with 527th Military Police Co. at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels, traveled Nov. 12 to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, to participate in the gaming finals of the USO + NFL Salute to Service Showdown.<\/p>\n
Salute to Service is the NFL\u2019s year-round effort to honor, empower and connect with the U.S.\u2019s service members, veterans and families.<\/p>\n
It is the first year NFL allowed the Department of Defense outside the continental U.S. to participate, and Spc. Trevor Bethke\u2019s gaming skills earned him the trip stateside.<\/p>\n
Every November the USO and the NFL celebrate military service, and each year service members get the chance to participate in the video game tournament through the USO to get the chance to win two tickets and paid travel to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Out of 275 service members across the world, Bethke was one of eight finalists to travel to the Cowboy\u2019s football stadium for the finals. This was the first time Bethke competed in this event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did have to practice a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cI was constantly playing some of the best players in the world after work \u2013 also playing my battle buddies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bethke is the first service member to represent OCONUS in the USO + NFL Salute to Service Madden Tournament. Before, participants had to be in the U.S. This year, USO flew Bethke from Hohenfels, Germany, to the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington where he played EA Sports\u2122\u00a0Madden\u00a0NFL\u00a023<\/em>, an American football video game, in a tournament in front of thousands of people.<\/p>\n While Bethke did not take home the tournament prize, he was the winning champion for Europe, the Middle East and Africa across all service branches.<\/p>\n