British and US armed forces battle it out on Call of Duty to raise money for veterans

British and US armed forces battle it out on best-selling video game Call of Duty to raise money for veterans

  • US and British military teams competed in a Call of Duty competition on Friday
  • Call of Duty Endowment Bowl was set up to help get veterans back in to work
  • US Space Force team won Friday night’s competition, with RAF finishing second 

Members of the armed forces in Britain and the US battled it out over Call of Duty to raise money for veterans.

For the first time ever, teams from both countries’ army, navy and air forces entered the Call of Duty Endowment Bowl on Friday, which helps support veterans get back into work.

The US’ Space Force team won the competition on the first-person-shooter, with the RAF and British Army sides coming second and third respectively.

The US Space Force won a Call of Duty competition between America’s and Britain’s respective military esport clubs on Friday night 

Lance Corporal Kieran Girdler was captain of the British Army’s team, following the result, he told the BBC: ‘We came third with a nail-biting finish, with just four points in it, we’re a bit gutted however I can say for all the guys that we had a great experience.’ 

Representatives from the Royal Navy, US Marine Corps, along with its army, air force and navy, also took part. 

All eight teams were captained by a popular Call of Duty streamer, along with members of the armed forces, as they battled it out on the latest installment of the franchise – Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.  

Following Friday’s result, the RAF’s dedicated e-sports team wrote: ‘Second place in #Codebowl2020. Incredible result and in the end it came down to a tie breaker where both teams were on the same score but the most dominant round won it for Space Force.

‘Second place in that tournament is no mean feat.’ 

The competition was set up to raise awareness of the charity, which hopes to get 100,000 veterans back into work by 2024.

So far it has funded the placement of more than 77,000 veterans in high quality employment, by working with charities in both countries.

Both countries taking part in the Call of Duty Endowment Bowl were playing Cold War, the latest installment in the first-person-shooter franchise

Both countries taking part in the Call of Duty Endowment Bowl were playing Cold War, the latest installment in the first-person-shooter franchise

In the UK, it has worked with Walking with the Wounded and the RFEA (The Forces Employment Charity, formerly known as the Regular Forces Employment Association).

Major Tim Elliott, the British Army’s officer in charge of e-sports, told the BBC ahead of Friday’s tournament: ‘It allows soldiers to communicate with their mates and not be alone, especially over Christmas if they’re going to be isolating if there’s lockdown or restrictions

He added the streaming teams helped the military ‘connect with the general public and show we’re human.’