HOUSTON – On Tuesday night, an entire Texas Air National Guard hangar was transformed into the Super Bowl LI Salute to Service Barbecue.
"The NFL came to the USO, thanks to our 50-year partnership that we have with them, and said, 'How can we honor the military here in Houston?' and being a National Guard and Reserve hub, we said, 'Let's do a base party, Texas-style,'" said Loren Westerfield, center director for USO Houston.
That meant the Houston Texans, their giant inflatables, live music, football, families and, of course, barbecue were all present.
"Not having a large base here like Fort Hood, we don't always get to have such a great community in our military here in Houston and so this event -- it seems to be going great," said Loren.
"Wherever the NFL goes, we always do something to support the military and try to bring the Super Bowl experience, the NFL experience to as many fans and families as we can," said Anna Isaacson, senior vice president of social responsibility for the NFL.
The event was the first of its kind for USO Houston although they hope to turn this kind of celebration into an annual gathering. All members of the military and their families were invited free of charge.
Future events will be posted on USO Houston's Facebook page.