Article – Soldiers throw in chips for charity

Mar 10, 2010

Soldiers throw in chips for charity

Story by Spc. Samuel Soza, 367th MPAD

COB BASRA, Iraq – With cold poker faces that belied their warm hearts, service members gathered March 25, 2010, at the Contingency Operating Base Basra USO, for a Texas Hold ’em benefit tournament to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit organization Operation Ward 57.

“Right now, ward 57 is the ward in Walter Reed [Army Medical Center] housing all the veterans who have lost either limb or eyesight in their going to Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Staff Sgt. Christian Hamilton, logistics noncommissioned officer with the 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment.

“When we came over here to Iraq, I tried to figure out a way to make an impact and try to contribute to the Ward,” said the Pittsburgh, Pa. native, “And we decided to come up with this little poker event.”

The USO hosted the “Hold’em For Heroes” tournament and helped with publicizing the event.

Although poker is a game without teams, the 90 participants were nevertheless playing for the same cause, said Hamilton.

“We’re all service members and we’re all in that situation – at any point in time we could find ourselves up on the ward as well,” he said. “I think that for us, here, it’s about raising money and improving life for those Soldiers living up on the ward.”

Anyone from COB Basra was welcome at the tournament and every player received a prize before leaving.

Prizes were donated by both companies and individuals, including the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

The Palace, a casino in Lakewood, Wash., held an event in conjunction with the tournament at COB Basra.

The casino had two tables dedicated to the event and raised about $1,000.

According to Hamilton, $2,885 was raised by night’s end at COB Basra – $1,955 in cash and $930 in online contributions.

Hamilton says that poker is a popular game among service members, but the game itself is not what led to the success of the event.

“I think it’s actually just the cause,” he said, “A lot of people donated more than the $20 that we asked, so I think it’s really just the service members helping each other and recognizing the other service members on the ward who have sacrificed and they’re here to support them.”

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