Post 2205 in Denton brings veterans together for a day of gaming
On July 5, VFW Post 2205 in Denton, Texas, hosted a “Call of Duty: Warzone” tournament at their state-of-the-art esports’ suite, which includes high-speed internet connections, noise-canceling insulation and 10 NCAA-level gaming computers.
This is the first gaming tournament the Post has held since the suite’s grand opening on April 23. Excerebus, a veteran-founded company based in Fort Worth, Texas, sponsored the tournament, which Regiment Gaming hosted.
A total of $1,000, plus a free year of VFW Membership, was included in the tournament’s prize pot: $750 went to the first-place winner, $250 to the second-place winner and the VFW membership to the third-place winner (if eligible).
“Gaming helps veterans with ‘socialization’- one of the Army’s five pillars of resilience,” said VFW Post 2205 Commander Tim Middleton. “Video games are a high preventer of suicide for veterans.”
Middleton added that gaming can serve as a way for veterans to connect more easily in today’s world.
“It can be harder for guys to get together in person for a beer,” he said. “Gaming can help fill that gap when getting together in person isn’t an option.”
VFW Director of Programs Lynn Rolf III, founder of VFW’s gaming league Combat-Tested Gaming, had high praise for Post 2205.
“[Post 2205] is the model of what we’re trying to accomplish with Combat-Tested Gaming,” Rolf III said.
The VFW hopes to reach younger members with programs such as Combat-Tested Gaming and to help bring comradery to those struggling veterans who might benefit from it.
This article is featured in the 2025 July issue of Checkpoint. If you’re a VFW member and don’t currently receive the VFW Checkpoint, please contact VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.
