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thedrifter
01-18-07, 01:05 PM
Former Bears Visit Troops In Iraq
McMahon, Butler Meet U.S. Soldiers Born Before 1985 Super Bowl

UPDATED: 11:31 am CST January 18, 2007

CHICAGO -- As Chicago ramps up for the Bears playoff battle next weekend, two former Super Bowl players got a taste of what real war is like.

Two of the 1985 Bears stars traveled to the frontlines recently to pay tribute to the true heroes.

As NBC5's Phil Rogers reported Wednesday, it's a long way from the breezy NFL battleground of Soldier Field to the real battlefields of Iraq. It was an eye-opening experience for two former Bears getting their first taste of war.

"They sacrifice their lives for our way of life," said former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. "The least I can do is spend a few hours, a few days with some of these guys that are risking their lives for us."

Former teammate Kevin Butler concurred.

"They're true American heroes and there's no greater compliment I can give them," Butler told NBC5.

Most Bears fans remember McMahon and Butler as players on the '85 Super Bowl team, which captured the hearts of Chicago and the nation.

They are older and grayer now, and meeting soldiers and Marines who hadn't been born when they rocketed to fame 20 years ago.

"Any news from home, any connection with the United States and they're happy to have it," McMahon said of his time shared with U.S. troops.

"It lets you know just how lucky we are to have what we have here in America," Butler said.

The two joined with a group called Stars For Stripes, visiting soldiers and Marines at installations throughout central Iraq.

"In a very foreign and hostile land," Rogers said, McMahon and Butler said they found friendly and familiar faces, and even sounds.

"We were ... right in the middle of Baghdad. We land, we get up there with armed guards, and the first thing that pops up over all the speakers is The Super Bowl Shuffle," Butler said.

"The Super Bowl Shuffle will haunt us forever," McMahon said with a smile. "A lot of them still knew about it. A lot them still had posters and Bear paraphernalia."

"These guys are coming over and thanking us for coming over and visiting for an hour or so and, you know, we're trying to say, 'Thank you for sacrificing your lives for us and our families back home,'" he added.

"When we're sitting there signing autographs, I really just wanted to, you know, flip it around and sit them down and get their autograph. Actually, having a soldier (who) just came off of a mission look and me and say, 'How did you go out there at the end of the game and kick a field goal? That's got to be nerve-wracking.'" Butler said. "You know, the humble meter goes straight up."

The two Bears shared pictures of their accomodations in Saddam Hussein's place the night he was hanged.

"(It was) pretty cool to be in Baghdad the day that all this took place," McMahon said.

Both men called the visit a life-changing experience. Both came home convinced that messages of support are more important than ever, Rogers said.

"I hear a lot of stuff in the media about how bad our youth is," the former quarterback said. "But, every time you talk to these people in the Marines ... our country is in good hands with these kids."

Butler said Bears fans can be especially supportive of the troops.

"If you're a Chicago Bears fan and your team is down at the halftime of the champioship game, you're going to be cheering them in the third quarter, no matter how they played those first two quarters. And we need to cheer our soldiers over there and just tell them how much we support them and love them," he said.

Rogers said that bother Butler and McMahon have been invited to return and both told NBC5 that they intend to go.

Ellie