NFL legends & WWII Heroes โขConverge at Berlin โGala Aheadโ of โคHistoric Game
BERLIN – Over 100 NFLโค stars and โฃWorld War II โฃveterans gathered Sunday evening โคat the axel Springer โHouseโ for a gala celebrating the league’s upcoming game in โฃGermany, a historic event underscoringโฃ the enduring โconnection between โAmerican football and the sacrifices made by a generation of โฃheroes.โ The event honored โveterans, โsome over a century old,โฃ who served during WWII, bringing a powerful layerโค of remembrance toโข the NFL’s expanding international presence.
The gala, hosted byโ the NFL โandโข the Veteran-lead “Bestโ Defense Foundation,” served as โขa tribute to those who defended freedom and a โขkickoff to a weekend of events culminating in โthe โขfirst regular season NFL game played in โgermany. This initiative highlights the league’s commitment toโ honoring โขveterans and recognizingโข their contributions, while simultaneously building its fanbase across the Atlantic. Foundation โคfounder and NFL legend Donnieโข Edwards, who played โ13 โseasons including timeโฃ with the Kansas City Chiefs, stated, “Weโข take care of those who took care of us. And weโค don’t forgetโ theirโ deeds.”
amongโ the honoredโฃ guestsโ was โฃ98-year-old US Army Air Corps โขveteran Woody Woodhouse, whoโค enlisted on โhis 17th birthday.โฃ Woodhouse shared โขthatโ his โmother’s German โขname, Gertrud, was often disliked at the time, but he holds a warm view of โขGerman women, describing them as “fantastic.”
Also present was 101-year-old veteran Hilbert Margol, who participated in โขthe liberationโฃ of the Dachau concentration camp during WWII. Margol recounted howโ his mother wrote lettersโฃ toโฃ President Roosevelt โฃto ensure he and his twinโ brother were โassigned to the same unit – a โคrequest that wasโค successfully fulfilled.
The veterans will be โrecognized as โฃhonored guests at Sunday’s gameโ in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, adding a poignant โdimension to the NFL’s historic international debut. The “Best Defense Foundation”โ is dedicated โขto preserving the legacyโ of WWII veterans and connecting โฃthem with communitiesโ across the United states and โฃnow, internationally.