On the importance of US World Cup Soccer on our Military Personnel Stationed Abroad

The World Cup helps American soldiers feel at home while bridging the cultural gap with their German neighbors

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany –

With World Cup in full swing, the American soldiers stationed in Germany understand the magnitude of the world’s biggest sporting event. Even if they don’t quite understand the game itself.

“There are people who still ask what quarter it is and have no clue about the game, but still appreciate all the fanfare and hype that surround it,” said Colonel John Sweeney, Medical Director of the DWMMC at nearby Landstuhl Regional Military Hospital. “And if you are in Kaiserslautern, it is all around you.”

“You can’t get away from it. It affects everyone in some way, even if is the traffic slowing you down so you are late for work.”

When the United States plays Italy on Saturday in Kaiserslautern, American servicemen and women will be crowding the narrow downtown streets and filling the pubs in support of their national team. Drawn from the estimated 50,000 military personnel stationed in the immediate area, they’ll drape themselves in the Stars and Stripes and congregate to experience the World Cup. Very few of them will be ardent soccer fans.

To be fair, there are a great number of soldiers who have zero interest in the sport soccer. But while that may be true, there are also a great number of soldiers who have a vested interest in partying. So while not every soldier cares about the game, all of them seem to understand the party atmosphere that will follow the world’s biggest sporting event into their neighborhood.

“I think here, where people are not as familiar (with soccer), they are intrigued by it. They’ve heard about the World Cup but now they see in front of their faces how big it is,” said Liuetenant Jesse Moncivias, an avid soccer fan who plays for local club team FC Mittelbrunn.

This enthusiasm towards the American team was evident when the United States played a friendly on March 1 here in K-Town (as the Americans have nicknamed the city). A strong contingent of soldiers braved the cold and snow that night for the game against Poland.

For their part, the United States team understands its importance with regards to the servicemen and women stationed here in southwest Germany. On February 27^th, two days before the United States played that friendly, the U.S. team visited the Landstuhl Regional Military Hospital. They signed autographs and posed for photos. The goodwill mission was an overwhelming success for both patients and staff.

“People who understand soccer received them as world-class athletes. We had a lot of people come to see them.” said Specialist Cecilia Rangel, a nurse at Landstuhl. “It was a big deal. We receive people who have been in Iraq or Afghanistan for months on end who don’t really get to see fellow Americans.”

“Here (the patients) are, just pulled out of the desert, and someone of that stature comes in and talks to them,” Sweeney added. “You can do more with that than anything I have in my arsenal as a doctor.”

When one leaves his or her regular environment, as military personnel who leave America to live in Germany must do, there are two options to find happiness. One must either adapt to the local culture or, alternatively, modify their new environs to mimic home. Every day, the military personnel stationed in Germany’s Rheinland-Pfalz try to strike a happy medium.

The Italy game will offer a synthesis of those two ideas. It’s an opportunity to participate in the World’s Game while representing the World’s Only Superpower.

Most – in fact hardly any – have tickets to the match, but don’t plan on letting that stop them. Neither will security concerns – the military has advised its personnel to exercise caution when they travel to Kaiserslautern as the large crowds of American soccer fans constitute a soft target for potential terrorists. However, for many the chance to experience the World Cup up close is too great of an opportunity to miss.

Saturday night, the soldiers will get a chance to show their patriotism while watching the beloved sport of their host country. Even if they aren’t exactly sure what quarter it is.