DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — It's been nearly 20 years since Detroit Lakes native Troy Linden was killed in action in Ramadi, Iraq, but his family has never forgotten.
When Troy's sister, Sarah Linden Hudson, and her family were given the opportunity to participate in a military families remembrance event in London, England, during the Minnesota Vikings' recent two-week stint overseas, the answer couldn't be anything but yes.
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"We had quite the adventure," said Hudson, who attended the Oct. 5 NFL game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with her husband Todd and sons Emmett, 15, and Bennett, 12, as well as her mother, Merry Lee Linden.
"It was my sons' first plane ride, and first NFL experience (i.e., attending a game in person)," Hudson added.
Troy Linden Army photo.jpg
U.S. Army Corporal Troy C. Linden was killed on July 8, 2006 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit's vehicle during combat operations.
Contributed / www.IraqWarHeroes.org
The all-expenses-paid trip was a joint venture by the National Football League and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which invited five U.S. families and five families from the United Kingdom to take part in the six-day "UK Experience."
All of the families invited for the event were grieving the loss of a loved one who had served in the military. The activities organized for them through TAPS and the NFL included a mixture of remembrance events, sight-seeing, taking part in an authentic British high tea, and even participating in the football game between the Vikings and Cleveland Browns by bringing the U.S. and British flags out onto the field for the opening ceremony.
"They kept us busy," Hudson said.
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The families that attended the Vikings-Browns football game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium also got the chance to participate in the opening ceremony, which means thery had to be at the stadium early on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, for the rehearsal.
Contributed / Sarah Linden Hudson
The morning of Saturday, Oct. 4, was spent watching the Vikings practice at Hanbury Manor, a countryside estate near Ware, England, about 90 minutes north of central London.
Each family was presented with a team jersey that had the name of their loved one on the back. Because he, like the Lindens, grew up in Detroit Lakes, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was the one who presented them with their jersey.
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“That was pretty special,” Hudson said, adding that Thielen was the only player they asked to sign the jersey; the others were asked to sign a T-shirt that the family had brought along for the occasion, which was printed with Troy Linden’s nickname, “Troy Boy.”
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Merry Lee Linden, left, her grandson Emmett Hudson and daughter Sarah Linden Hudson enjoying the Vikings-Browns football game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025.
Contributed / Sarah Linden Hudson
“We also got to spend quite a lot of time with (Vikings running back) Aaron Jones,” said Hudson, explaining that he wasn’t practicing with the squad due to being on injured reserve. “He was a military kid, so he actually spent quite a lot of time with us, visiting."
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, long snapper Andrew DePaola and quarterback Carson Wentz also spent a little time visiting with them before practice, she added, noting that O’Connell posed for a photograph with her sons.
The families had to head over to Tottenham stadium early on Sunday morning for a quick rehearsal of the opening ceremony, and the families’ presentation of their countries’ flags.
While they were waiting to go out onto the field, Hudson said, they got to watch a lot of the players’ family members and NFL dignitaries pass them by on their way into the stadium. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stopped and shook hands with some of them and posed for photographs, Hudson said.
Each flag was brought out onto the field in a box, immediately prior to the performance of their respective country’s national anthem. The American families unfurled the U.S. flag on the field, and the British families unfurled the U.K. flag.
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The 10 families who were invited to London for a "UK Experience" organized by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and the National Football League, standing in front of Tower Bridge on Oct. 3, 2025.
Contributed / Sarah Linden Hudson
“I think there were 41 of us, in total,” Hudson said. “I bet almost all of us were part of the ceremony.”
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TAPS has been partnering with the NFL since 2017 to offer experiences like this one to military families, Hudson said. Together, they covered nearly all of the families’ expenses, except for things like passports, souvenirs, and activities outside of the scheduled itinerary.
“It was a pretty amazing experience,” she said. “Especially because only five American families were chosen for this trip.”
“Somebody asked my 12-year-old son what his favorite part was, and he said, ‘Probably Adam Thielen handing me my uncle’s jersey,’” Hudson added. “That was a pretty special moment.”
With the 20th anniversary of her brother’s death coming up next year, she said, she has been looking for ways to try to commemorate the occasion and keep “Troy Boy’s” memory alive.
She staged a car show this summer as part of a fundraising event, and is hoping to put together some other commemorative events leading up to the anniversary of Linden’s death on July 8, 2026.
“I’ve got to keep the ball rolling,” she said. “I really want to get something in this town named after him, whether it’s a chunk of highway, or a building, or something like that. I think he deserves that.”
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Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, center, posed for a photo with Detroit Lakes residents Emmett Hudson, left, and Bennett Hudson when their family attended the Vikings' team practice on Oct. 4, 2025, prior to the Vikings vs. Browns game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Contributed / Sarah Linden Hudson