Scott officer plays basketball for U.S. in Military World Games Published Aug. 10, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Divine Cox 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Scott Air Force Base, Ill. -- U.S. military members joined athletes from 108 countries in Rio de Janeiro last month to compete in a variety of sporting events at the 5th Conseil International du Sport Militaire (International Military Sports Counsel) World Games. First Lt. Andrew Henke, 375th Contracting Squadron, participated in the Military World Games, which took place from July 16-24. "I was lucky enough to have been asked by the coaching staff to play last November in the SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) International Basketball Tournament, which we won gold in for the first time since 2004," said Henke. "That was the start of my Armed Forces Basketball career, and since then I have been lucky and able to keep participating." Before arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Henke and his team spent two weeks practicing at Lackland AFB, Texas. On arrival at the competition, Henke was awed by the welcoming the military athletes from around the world received. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think 60,000 people would pack into a huge stadium to greet a bunch of military athletes at the opening ceremonies," he said. "It was an incredible experience. The magnitude of the Military World Games was most impressive and quite shocking to the athletes who participated." During the compeition, team USA won seven games, but lost to Brazil in the semi-finals. "That was one of the hardest losses I have ever had to swallow," said Henke. "Winning the gold medal was our team goal, and we came up short against the host country in a packed gym." Team USA went on to defeat South Korea 84-83 for the bronze medal in men's basketball on July 24.