Tackle Mark Tauscher, linebacker Brandon Chillar, defensive end Michael Montgomery and guard/tackle Tony Moll after practice competed in online video game action vs. active military members overseas in the Pro vs. G.I. Joe program.
The players competed against soldiers stationed in Kuwait, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in Madden NFL 09 and HALO 3. The competitors were able to see and hear each other via a video conference setup during the game.
Tauscher was matched up against Marine Corporal Timothy Headrick, a Green Bay native with the 1st Marine Logistics Group in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.
Headrick specifically requested competing against Tauscher, an honor he was happy to accommodate.
"It's a great experience," Tauscher said. "I'm not the best at Madden, but if he wants to play, I'm game. These men and women serving overseas are making tremendous sacrifices on our behalf. You really can't say enough about what they're doing and what they're going through, being away from their families. It's great that their families are able to see them, too."
About 30 friends and family members of the soldiers' and Marines' families also were in attendance in the Lambeau Field Atrium to witness the competition. The players had a chance to visit with the families before and after the games. After the games, the families were able to reunite with the soldiers or Marines via Webcam.
Pro vs. GI Joe aims to do something no other morale boosting organization does: provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to military men and women serving all over the world. The organization's mission is to set up real-time video game competitions between professional athletes and troops stationed overseas via the Internet using PlayStation, Xbox Live and the WII.
More information about the program can be found online here.
