Inside the NovaCare practice field, 30 USO members suited up for a once-in-a-lifetime flag football game on the same turf home to the two-time Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Former Eagles players William Thomas and Jason Avant served as coaches as part of the NFL's Salute to Service initiative. For Avant, the effort hits close to home.

"My dad was a Marine, my uncle was a Marine, so I know what they have gone through," Avant said. "They have sacrificed themselves for our country."

Staff Sgt. Rico Roman is a U.S. Army veteran and Paralympic gold medalist. For him and all the athletes at NovaCare, a day like this reinvigorates the bonds built on the battlefield.

"You know, talking with the other veterans that have been here, like, some of us have served in similar places," Roma

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