Photo By Staff Sgt. Jake Jacobsen | Airmen take a moment of silence during a Sept. 11 Memorial Soccer Tournament, Sept....... read more read more
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CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — Eight military soccer teams from Air Force and Space Force installations across the country came together in the Las Vegas area Sept. 11-13 for the inaugural 9/11 memorial soccer tournament, bringing service members together through competition and remembrance.
The tournament opened with a memorial ceremony honoring the lives lost during the attacks and recognizing the sacrifices made by military members and first responders in the years since.
“There was a huge effort from the team, and from Vegas as a whole, to make this event happen,” said 1st Lt. Patric Naranjo, 17th Attack Squadron MQ-9 pilot. “We made sure to have a wreath for those lost and included a moment of silence to emphasize how important this memorial ceremony is for us. Everybody plays a role to make sure an attack like that never happens again. So the ceremony is a reminder to instill that role.”
After the ceremony, participants gathered for the national anthem and remarks from a chaplain, giving players, coaches and family members a chance to reflect on the day’s significance before the competition began.
“Sept. 11 means something a little different for me because I was born and raised in Ghana, Africa,” said Master Sgt. Edward Adade, Nellis team coach. “After coming to the States, I actually joined the military to serve in support of what happened during the attacks, and I was able to deploy to Afghanistan to support that mission.”
Teams representing Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Edwards Air Force Base, California; and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, participated in the three-day tournament.
While the teams competed for a championship on the field, the tournament also gave service members from geographically separated installations a chance to build relationships and strengthen connections within the Air Force and Space Force community.
The tournament concluded with a championship match between the Nellis and JBSA teams. After three days of competition, the JBSA team claimed the tournament championship.
Beyond the final score, the tournament provided a shared opportunity to honor those who were lost and recognize those who answered the call to serve following the Sept. 11 attacks.
“We wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before to commemorate 9/11,” said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Adu, founder of the tournament’s organizational team. “There is no tournament on base such as this, and we wanted to give other bases the chance to participate as well.”
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2026 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 574892 |
| Location: | CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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