Overseas Troops, Families to Tailgate Together
It’s not unusual for Packers fans to travel far to tailgate and cheer on the team.
But 7,000 miles may be a record.
To connect families and friends of the Wisconsin National Guard 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team with 3,200 soldiers serving in Iraq, a volunteer group is organizing “Tailgating with the Troops” next month in Madison. With the help of technology, soldiers will be able to watch the Packers battle the Detroit Lions on Oct. 18 with their families through real time audio and video connections.
A number of T1 broadband lines will be brought into the Alliant Energy Center in Madison to handle the connections linking similar setups at some of the U.S. bases in Iraq. Large video screens will show the Wisconsin soldiers watching the game in Iraq who will be able to see their families at the Alliant Energy Center on similar screens.
“Since we can’t bring the troops home we’ll try to make these connections possible,” said Cindy Tomlinson, associate manager of public relations for TDS Telecommunications Corp.
Families can also sign up for one-on-one visits through audio and video links with soldiers set up in private areas at the Center. The deadline for families to register for the event is Thursday at http://www.servingthe32nd.org.
Organized by the volunteer group “Serving the 32nd,” the tailgate will start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. However, private visits scheduled by families may start as early as 8 a.m. and run later than 4 p.m. depending on the soldier’s availability and work schedule in Iraq.
Organizers are seeking donations and volunteers to help with the event which is free and can accommodate as many as 9,000 people. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Beer will be sold.
