CoD Celebrates Military Appreciation Month with Free Rewards, Events, and Real-Life Tributes

For Military Appreciation Month this year, Call of Duty is putting a significant focus on recognizing the service and sacrifice of military veterans and their families. They are doing this through various initiatives both within the game and outside of it. This includes offering special content, such as a free cosmetic pack for eligible individuals, hosting limited-time events inside the games, and creating real-life tributes. The overall effort is described as going “full throttle” and aiming to provide meaningful recognition and support, going beyond just offering new items or bonuses in the game.

As part of the celebration, Call of Duty is providing a special cosmetic gift specifically for eligible U.S. military service members and veterans. This gift is a “United Force: Tracer Pack.” The design of the cosmetics within this pack was created with input from two real-life veterans, First Sergeant (Ret.) Korey Staley and Captain (Ret.) Florent “Flo” Groberg, who were directly involved in the creative process. To claim this free pack, eligible individuals will need to go through a verification process for their military service. This verification will be handled through the Call of Duty Endowment website, and more detailed instructions on how to do this are expected to be released in the coming weeks on that site. It is also mentioned that an account is required to verify service and claim the pack.

The “Got Your Six” event is an in-game activity that will be available for a limited time. It runs from May 15th through May 29th. Players can participate in this event across two Call of Duty titles: Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty Warzone. The event involves completing a series of themed challenges while playing the game. By successfully finishing these challenges, players can unlock exclusive cosmetic rewards that are available only during this event period. These rewards include items like an animated emblem and an operator skin for their characters.

The “Got Your Six” event is directly connected to the mission of the Call of Duty Endowment. The Endowment is a non-profit organization supported by the franchise, specifically dedicated to helping military veterans find high-quality civilian jobs after their service. By participating in the “Got Your Six” event, players contribute to a broader mission because completing the challenges helps to spotlight and raise awareness for the Endowment’s work. It serves as a way for the large Call of Duty community to engage in an activity that honors military service not only through playing the game but also by highlighting real-world efforts to support veterans transitioning into the workforce in the U.S. and U.K.

Yes, there is a special challenge that involves the entire Call of Duty community working together. This is called the Kane Brown High Road Challenge and it takes place from May 9th through May 14th. The challenge calls on all players across Multiplayer, Warzone, and Zombies game modes to collectively achieve a total of 15 million wins within that specific timeframe. It’s a large-scale community effort to reach a shared goal based on gameplay performance.

If the Call of Duty community successfully meets the goal of achieving 15 million combined wins across the designated game modes during the challenge period, everyone who participated will earn a special reward. The reward for completing this community challenge is an exclusive cosmetic item: an animated calling card called the “KB High Road” Calling Card. This calling card is inspired by the music artist Kane Brown’s High Road Tour. It’s presented as a cool crossover collaboration that also helps draw attention to Military Appreciation Month, especially since Kane Brown himself has a family connection to the military and has spoken out in support of veterans.

The Babcock Trophy event is a specific competition being held this month that brings a form of friendly rivalry into Call of Duty. It is a head-to-head showdown featuring representatives from the U.S. Army competing against representatives from the U.S. Navy. This event is presented in a style that blends entertainment with elements of esports competition. Its purpose is to honor service members from both branches while also allowing them to compete for bragging rights in a Call of Duty setting. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the event to see the outcome and may have opportunities to pick up themed rewards associated with the competition.

The news post mentions an upcoming collaboration between Call of Duty and the Texas Rangers, which is a Major League Baseball team. This partnership is described as an unexpected team-up, and the specific details of what it will entail are still being kept confidential. However, the collaboration promises to bring some unique crossover content connecting the Call of Duty game franchise with baseball, often referred to as America’s pastime. This could potentially involve special items or events within the game or other tributes that link the two. More information about the specific content resulting from this team-up is expected to be announced soon.

The guide emphasizes that this year’s Military Appreciation Month campaign is intended to be more impactful and deeply connected to the cause compared to perhaps focusing solely on cosmetic items in previous years. It is described as being “rooted in real stories, real veterans, and real support.” This means that the content created, such as the special Tracer Pack, involved direct collaboration and input from real veterans. Furthermore, the in-game events like “Got Your Six” are designed to actively promote the Call of Duty Endowment’s mission of placing veterans into jobs, directly linking the act of playing the game to supporting real-world efforts and honoring military service in a more profound way.

The Call of Duty Endowment, often shortened to C.O.D.E., is a non-profit organization that is part of Activision Publishing. It functions as the charitable arm of the Call of Duty franchise. Its primary and core mission is dedicated to helping military veterans successfully transition back into civilian life after completing their service. The Endowment focuses on assisting them in finding high-quality, meaningful careers. The news post highlights the significant impact the Endowment has already made, stating that it has helped place over 125,000 veterans into jobs since it was founded. The Military Appreciation Month events and content releases are explicitly stated to help further this important mission by raising funds and awareness.