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Dolphins play against 451 AEW Airmen

  • Published
  • By Capt. Passion Julinsey
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Five Airmen from the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing stayed up late one December night to play the video game "Call of Duty" against Miami Dolphins Nate Garner and Charles Clay.

The Airmen responded to the call for Miami Dolphins fans who are from the state of Florida. They include Master Sgt. Pedro Torres from South Miami, Staff Sgt. Jamison Jackson from West Palm Beach, Senior Airman Justin Kiel from Daytona Beach, Airman 1st Class Marcus Hering from Melbourne and Airman 1st Class Colin Landry from West Palm Beach.

The organizer, Pro v. GI Joe, is a nonprofit organization started by husband-and-wife team Greg and Addie Zinone. Their motto is "doin' a little for those who do a lot."

"We connect professional athletes to play live video games with troops deployed stateside and overseas. Since June 2007, Pro vs. GI Joe has hooked up our troops with literally hundreds of sports stars via Internet and webcam," explained Greg Zinone.

Pro vs. GI Joe has helped troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and other locations in Southwest Asia, as well as Germany and Korea enjoy some down time with sports teams from the Major League Baseball, NASCAR, NFL and NBA. When possible, Pro vs. GI Joe also invites family members of the participating troops to watch the live video game from where the professional athletes play.

Many pieces had to come together to make the game possible. Lt. Col. Paul Aguirre, executive officer for the Kandahar Airfield chief of staff, coordinated with the Zinones on the date and time. Jesse Boyles, duty manager at USO Kandahar, tested the Internet and webcam connections several times in advance. The participating Airmen's supervisors adjusted their work schedules and arranged for a ride to USO.

For Master Sgt. Pedro Torres, 451 Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron back shop chief, it was worth staying up late to exchange a few words with Dolphins players Garner and Clay.

"It was a very rewarding experience to spend time with quality individuals who have taken great pains in regards to time and effort to give us a respite from the grind of the deployment," said Torres.

The other Airmen also showed appreciation for the opportunity to play with their favorite football team.

"I had a lot of fun playing Call of Duty and what made it even better was playing against some of the Miami Dolphins," said Airman 1st Class Marcus Hering from the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

"Getting to play against my favorite team was a great experience, the highlight of my deployment," noted Senior Airman Justin Kiel from the 451st Expeditionary Force Support Flight.

Landry, a video game enthusiast, did so well that the Miami Dolphins is sending him a chair with gaming equipment. When he redeploys, the prize will be waiting for him in the U.S.