HealthCode Musters U.S. Armed Forces for Battle of the Branches Global Virtual Activity Challenge

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Apr 21, 2023, 14:16 ET

Retired Officers Square Off in Support of Readiness, Resilience and Unity During May's Military Appreciation Month

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Retired U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army officers are challenging all active duty, veterans, family and friends of the U.S. armed forces to step up for HealthCode's Battle of the Branches virtual activity challenge in May.

May marks Military Appreciation Month and HealthCode's Battle of the Branches virtual activity challenge will pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces stationed in the United States and abroad while encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle to support readiness, resilience and unity.

Retired U.S. Army Major General Tony Cucolo, president and CEO of Professional Contract Services, Inc. threw down the gauntlet among the nonprofit and business community.

"Do you have what it takes to beat my little outfit this year?'' he challenged. "In 2022, PCSI came in at number five globally, number three in the greater Austin area and number one for nonprofits anywhere. Bring the best you've got!"

"My company and I had a blast last year, with my veteran employees across the country doing good-natured trash-talking about service cultures and Physical Training-related things as they racked up miles for their own benefit. We discovered we had more veteran employees than we thought, and because it is open to all, our service-related family members came out of the woodwork with great pride, too, all which added to the sense of camaraderie," Cucolo said.

Retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Gwyn Armfield, Managing Director of RGA Consulting Group LLC, said HealthCode's virtual events helped his team at the U.S. Central Command remain motivated.

"In 2016, we were faced with the challenge of motivating our global team to stay fit despite working 24/7 in dispersed locations and looked at HealthCode's virtual events. Results exceeded our expectations. With Airmen across the U.S. and the Middle East, we liked having our private leaderboards to motivate, track and report participation,'' Armfield said. "I challenge everyone to join the Battle of the Branches to help engage our military community – veterans, families, friends and supporters – in an active lifestyle.''

Battle of the Branches was developed through HealthCode's work with the U.S. Air Force, which has been using the nonprofit's virtual activity events to engage military personnel globally since 2016.

Participating in the challenge is simple. Participants sign up on Battle of the Branches 2023 registration page and select a branch: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Space Force. Participants select a group – active duty, guard, reserve, veteran, family or friend – and set a goal for the number of miles of activity to be achieved.

Throughout the month, the battle leaderboard is updated with miles achieved globally, including running, walking, cycling or swimming.

Steve Amos, CEO and founder of HealthCode, said: "There is nothing like a little healthy competition between branches to build camaraderie. We are encouraging all businesses, state and local organizations to join the challenge to recognize the hard-working women and men in our armed forces and our veterans during Military Appreciation Month – and have a little fun at the same time.''

Organizations can show support for veteran employees by signing up at https://healthcode.org/hr-wellness. More information can be found at https://healthcode.org/battle-intro/.

About HealthCode

HealthCode, a nonprofit based in Austin, Texas, is dedicated to empowering people to live healthier, happier lives through education and encouraging physical activity, promoting healthy eating habits, supporting the environment and cultivating community connections. For more information visit www.healthcode.org.

SOURCE HealthCode