OREANDA-NEWS. November 13, 2015. The competitive juices were flowing as entries from thousands of servicemen and women were narrowed to five, with the finalists getting a chance to win \\$25,000 toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle.

The three-month long “Get the Edge” Ford sweepstakes culminated in an Oct. 3 event at Ramstein Air Base attended by more than 200 people.

The Ford-sponsored sweepstakes is an annual event for active members of the U.S. military serving overseas. This year, more than 5,000 print and online entries were received. Four finalists were selected to compete in person for the grand prize, while a fifth was chosen from the crowd attending the final event.

The finalists were each given a Ford-branded duffel bag, one of which contained the grand prize, and engaged in a spirited competition that saw the bags change hands multiple times, with the winning bag ultimately held by Air Force Col. Daniel Duffy, who is stationed in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

In addition to the \\$25,000, which he plans to use to purchase a 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum, Duffy received a five-day stay at Germany’s Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, one of the event partners.

The remaining finalists didn’t leave empty-handed, as each received a prize pack that included a Ford-branded jacket and golf umbrella.

This is the fourth year Ford has been the sole sponsor of the sweepstakes. Kirk Born, Fleet account manager, Emerging Market Services, says military appreciation events are among the ways Ford thanks members of the military for their service. “These men and women are far from home, so events such as this serve a dual purpose: they give Ford an opportunity to provide a tangible way of expressing our appreciation and they give service personnel a chance to have some fun.”