LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Military members from Nellis Air Force Base and Creech Air Force Base were given a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience at Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday.
They were given a tour of the stadium, free T-shirts, and got to participate in football drills on the field. It's part of the Salute To Service partnership between the NFL and USAA, who have been working together to host events like this since 2011 and with the Las Vegas Raiders since 2020.
"Las Vegas is a huge military community. There are a lot of veterans, a lot of military members and their families," a USAA representative said. "This gives us an opportunity to say thanks for their commitment and service as well as bring awareness to the greater community on the service and sacrifice that our military members make every day."
USAA officials added they know that football is a game that's close to the hearts of many military men and women.
"Football is a venue a lot of service members relate to. It's the teamwork. It's working together. A lot of service members dream of becoming NFL players and for a lot of them, today is probably the closest a lot of them are going to get to that so I expect we're going to see their absolute best."
Some service members definitely said they jumped on the opportunity as soon as they got the chance.
"I loved football and I played it growing up," said senior airman Antonio Dowsey. "You watch the games on TV and think I can do that. When you're out here doing it, it's a lot harder. To be on the same field walking where they walk is amazing."
Others said they wanted to put on a show.
"My best event was the throw. I was one of the top five," said airman first class Logan Elbrader. "That was cool, to compete like that. I've always had a good arm even though I'm not the biggest guy out there."
At the end of the day, the military members Channel 13 spoke to said it was a great time and show their love for Raider Nation.
"I'm actually getting into football now. I wasn't a huge football fan growing up but my husband lives and breathes football," said senior airman Gabrielle Costadoni. "I have to pick the city I live in. It's amazing. I feel like we've gotten such a great experience out of this. I took so many pictures and can't wait to show my family."
