Another successful day for the NFL-USO tour. [Archive] - Marine Corps

thedrifter

03-09-07, 11:15 AM

Another successful day for the NFL-USO tour.
David Krichavsky's USO blog
By David Krichavsky
Special to NFL.com

The NFL is continuing this offseason its legacy of more than 40 years of sending players overseas to visit with U.S. troops. The NFL's Director of Community Affairs, David Krichavsky, is accompanying four NFL players -- Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shelton Quarles, Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields, and New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson -- on a 12-day USO tour to U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

DAY 4 -- FOUR PLAYERS, THREE BASES

After a couple of hours of sleep, we were again awake and ready to go. When the NFL was planning this trip with the USO back in January and February, we told the USO we wanted an aggressive itinerary that allowed us to visit as many troops in as many different locations as possible. Well, the USO certainly complied. As a result, we have to rely on adrenaline rather than sleep and downtime as our source of energy. That is exactly the way our players want it.

Our accommodations last night could be considered Spartan at best. I have noticed a trend in the quality and comfort of our accommodations -- and this trend hasn't necessarily been in the right direction. We spent our first night at the Hilton in Kuwait City. Each of the guys had his own room, many of which looked out over the clear waters of the Persian Gulf. The next night was spent with the army in Camp Victory in Baghdad. We stayed at Camp Victory in what the army refers to as "hooches," which are effectively metal trailers subdivided into three separate living quarters. Each room has two beds and houses two men or women. The latrines and showers were in trailers that were a good distance away from our quarters. This resulted in our NFL Films cameraman, Dave Malek, getting lost in the middle of the night when he woke up to use the bathroom but was unable to locate his trailer on his way back. After wandering around for twenty minutes and testing countless doors, Dave finally found his home for the night.

Last night at Haditha Dam, we had our most modest living quarters yet. All nine men in the NFL-USO party were put in one barracks-style room with five bunk beds. When we entered our room, none of the beds had any sheets, pillows or blankets on them. This led me to inquire to our Marine P.O.C. (point of contact) whether we would be receiving sheets for the beds. He shook his head to indicate no and then quickly left. Shelton and Alge got quite a kick out of this. They ribbed me a bit by exclaiming, "Sheets? Sheets? Sheets?!" in a tone intentionally reminiscent of the one that Jim Mora, Sr. used in his often replayed press conference of a number of years ago when he was asked about his teams' playoff chances.

The guys didn't blink, though, at the modesty of our quarters. Despite sleeping on thin, worn mattresses with no linens or pillows, I didn't hear one complaint. These four guys realize that they have it easy compared to the Marines who are stationed here.

Not just the players, but our entire traveling party for the NFL-USO trip has been exceptional. Our party has consisted of the four players and me; Jeff Anthony of the USO, a former Marine and veteran of two NFL tours and countless others; Dave Malek of NFL Films, who is capturing our experiences on video; Mike Theiler of the USO, a still photographer who is also documenting the trip; and Scott Past, a DOD official who has arranged almost all of our logistical details in the Iraqi A.O.E. (area of engagement). Without the labors and dedication of each individual in this group, our tour wouldn't be close to the success that it has been so far.

At 0900 hours it was wheels up in our two Chinook helicopters. We were destined for Camp Rawah, a remote COP (camp out post) in Northwestern Anbar Province, Iraq.

Rawah was another out-of-the-way outpost where the troops were thrilled to see NFL players, as it is very rare that celebrities or VIPS make it there. Captain Scott Hermann described why it is so valuable for the soldiers to receive these kinds of visits, "It brings a piece of home to us here. It makes us realize that folks back home are still thinking of us." About 300 Marines are stationed at Rawah, and every single one on the base got an autograph, photograph and/or mini football from the players. We also got to witness a re-enlistment ceremony as a gentleman who had been in the Marines for nearly 30 years re-upped for another tour of duty with his fellow Marines.

We then had lunch with the soldiers at their DFAC. The "chow" at Rawah was some of the best that we have had in Iraq. The soldiers had a large outdoor grill in front of their DFAC where they had been cooking steaks, hotdogs, and chicken. Our four players had worked up quite an appetite after signing autographs for nearly two hours with the smell of charred steak in the air. Hence, it wasn't a big surprise for anyone when we found Alge in a deep sleep (which the other guys termed a "food coma") after lunch.

At 1300 hours, a new transport helicopter came to Rawah to pick us up and bring us to our next stop. This helicopter was a C-53 Sea Stallion, which required us all to get harnessed into our seats before takeoff. Will went up front with the crew and helped serve as a lookout for the gunners. While harnessing ourselves into our seats in the back of the C-53 made it seem like we could be on an amusement park ride at first, there was absolutely no escaping the fact that we were in a very real war zone. Our first stop was Camp Al Qaim, a base on the Syrian border in Western Iraq. Al Qaim was more built up than the last couple of bases that we'd been on, which provided an interesting contrast for us. For instance, the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) center at Al Qaim had a gym that could service an entire football team. "Wow. They have a D-1 facility here!" exclaimed Ben Watson, perhaps remembering his collegiate days as a Georgia Bulldog.

The players did another meet-and-greet at Al Qaim and then took a quick tour around the camp to visit with those who weren't able to make it over to the MWR center for an autograph. We also received a briefing from a Marine sergeant who had been brought in from Quantico, Virginia to help optimize the operations at Al Qaim. This sergeant told us that the Department of Defense would not have brought the USO tour to Al Qaim about a year ago, but such considerable progress had been made in the area over the past year that it was now a relatively safe area.

It was then back aboard our Sea Stallion chopper for a rather lengthy flight to our next destination, Korean Village. Korean Village, which is located in the far western part of Iraq near the Jordanian border, received its name due to the fact that Saddam Hussein brought laborers from Korea to Iraq in the 1980s to build his national highway system. Korean Village consists of a handful of concrete buildings on the main highway out of the country to Syria.

With a few minutes before it was time to grab some chow, I asked Ben Watson to share some of his thoughts on Iraq so far:

Real. I don't care how much MSNBC, CNN or FOXNEWS you watch. I don't care how many times the words "Iraq" or "Fallujah" or "Baghdad" go across the ticker coupled with "insurgents," "firefights" and "casualties." I don't care how well informed one may think they are about Operation Iraqi Freedom. The reality of the situation is that you think you know, but you have no idea. I thought I knew. And I did: I knew the geography of each country. I knew all the important "strategic" landmarks. I knew how the soldiers felt about the war, that they all wanted to be out of here ASAP. As we conclude Day 4, the reality is that I have been forever changed. Ever since landing in Kuwait City, for probably the first time, utterly powerless. Though I am not enlisted in the Armed Forces, I realize that I am now a target. I have stepped into this conflict and it scares me. But I wouldn't give this feeling up for the world. We have been lodging on and visiting numerous bases scattered throughout Iraq. In talking to troops I have heard stories of surprise mortar attacks, best friends being killed, and the frustration of fighting an enemy you sometimes can't even see. It is a humbling experience. You know it's bad when you are touring a base with a soldier and he tells you to spread out from the group to avoid mass casualties from a hit. Real. I'm thinking--how do you live and mentally operate under the reality that each step could be your last. That someone out there would love nothing more than to blow you to pieces. In spite of it all there is an overwhelming sense of resolve to keep the faith and continue the course, whatever that course may be.

Three military bases. Four NFL players. Hundreds of troops reached. Another successful day for the NFL-USO tour.

www.nfl.com/news/story/10048732

Shields helps kick off tour
www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/02/28/will_shields_helps_kick_off_nfluso_tour_to_persian _gulf/

2006 NFL-USO tour
www.nfl.com/news/story/9361988

Day 1: Arrival
www.nfl.com/news/story/10040827

Day 2: Taking off
www.nfl.com/news/story/10043305

Day 3: Nice hardware
www.nfl.com/news/story/10045816

Ellie

thedrifter

03-10-07, 09:19 AM

Shelton Quarles and the rest of the travelers on the NFL-USO tour, including blogger David Krichavsky, are finding their visits in a war zone to be informative, uplifting and, most of all, real
Facing Reality

Shelton Quarles (back row, second from left) is fulfilling a long-time ambition by participating in this NFL-USO tour

Mar 10, 2007 -

Last Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shelton Quarles embarked on the trip of a lifetime. Quarles is accompanying Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler, Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields and New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson on 12-day USO tour of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tour continues an NFL legacy of more than 40 years that has included some of the league’s greatest stars of all-time. Their mission is the same as it was in 1966, when future Hall of Famers Willie Davis, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff and Johnny Unitas visited Vietnam on the first NFL-USO tour: To say thank you to the men and women serving our nation overseas.

Also making the trip with the quartet of gridiron standouts is David Krichavsky, the league’s director of community affairs, and a USO photographer. Krichavsky is filing a daily blog, which you will find below, that includes the thoughts of the traveling players as they move from base to base on their fast-paced tour. Click here to view some of the images sent back by the photographer.

**

2007 NFL-USO Tour

Day 1: Arrival

"Welcome to Kuwait." With that greeting from our USO contact in the Persian Gulf, the NFL's 41st USO tour officially kicked off.

Four NFL players decided to dedicate a portion of their offseason to travel halfway around the world to say thank you to America's fighting forces. Alge Crumpler, Shelton Quarles, Will Shields and Benjamin Watson are known to most as key members of their NFL teams -- they have played in a combined 17 Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowl titles. But they should also be known for their commitment to improving lives off the field.

Crumpler serves as a spokesperson for, and actively participates in, the Falcons Focus on Fitness. Quarles started the Shelton Quarles IMPACT Foundation in 2003 to help at-risk families. Shields was named the 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his numerous community activities, and Watson has been very active in his local community of Athens, Georgia.

" The guys didn’t blink, though, at the modesty of our quarters. Despite sleeping on thin, worn mattresses with no linens or pillows, I didn’t hear one complaint. These four guys realize that they have it easy compared to the Marines who are stationed here."
The players and I spent a full day traveling from various points of departure in the United States to the Persian Gulf. Everyone in the group met for the first time in Frankfurt, Germany where the four members of the NFL fraternity formed a quick bond.

And then on to Kuwait, where we are spending the night before departing for our initial destination in the Gulf and our first visit with the troops.

The team is ready. "We're exited for what lies ahead" said Watson. "But what I'm really excited for right now is a hot shower and a good meal. It has been more than 24 hours of traveling since I left home."

More to come tomorrow when we begin our mission to shake as many hands and say as many thank yous as possible.

Day 2: Baghdad

After catching a few hours of sleep at our hotel in Kuwait City, the guys were up at zero six-hundred hours and back on the road shortly thereafter. We spent the night at the Kuwait Hilton, which is a launching pad for contractors and other personnel heading into or out of Iraq. By 7:30 a.m. we were at a Kuwaiti air force base where we waited for our C-130 to Baghdad.

The players already have formed quick friendships. Ben and Alge hit it off, as you might expect, due to their shared experiences as tight ends. Will and Shelton are both family men who have seen almost anything possible in their NFL careers. The four players traded stories about teammates that they’ve had in common, mutual friends, great coaches they’ve played under, etc. As the group waited for our plane to arrive to take us to Baghdad, we realized that there were some Army soldiers serving in a security role at the air terminal as well as many Air Force members stationed there. Hence, we decided to do a quick meet-and-greet. The four players spent almost an hour signing autographs and taking pictures with the soldiers. All four players were popular, but Alge commanded the most attention from the group of soldiers based out of Georgia. And of course everyone was in awe of Shelton and Ben’s Super Bowl rings. Solider after soldier lined up to take pictures with the players and their “bling.”

“You’ll have one of those rings this time next year, Alge,” shouted Lt. Jessica Unger, one of the Falcons fans from Georgia.

Luckily we were able to sign an autograph for every soldier by the time our plane arrived. We then boarded a C-130 bound for Baghdad.

I’d been warned about the C-130s. During the NFL-USO tour in 2005, Atlanta Falcon Warrick Dunn made the now famous statement to John Hanson of the USO, “There are three words that I never want to hear again after this trip: C. One. Thirty.” As soon as I boarded the plane, I realized that flying on a C-130 would indeed be quite an experience.

C-130s are known to be the workhorses of the U.S. military. They are the primary planes that transport both troops and supplies. Our particular plane was jam-packed with army soldiers heading up to Baghdad and Mosul. These soldiers were very pleased to be joined by a group of NFL players. They have been deployed for seven months already. The deployment was supposed to end in four months but they had already learned that they would be extended an additional three months past when they were originally scheduled to go home.

Back to riding on a C-130…

One thing to know is that there aren’t “seats” on these planes. Just mesh benches suspended from the sides of the plane. In addition, it is loud—very loud. The crew gave us earplugs when we boarded to protect us from the noise, and needless to say, there are no restrooms on board a C-130. The airman who briefed us before takeoff did mention “buckets” in the back though.

Additionally, our entire group was fitted for body armor and helmets before boarding the plane. Wearing this Kevlar as we flew toward Baghdad on a plane full of army soldiers made it very real that we were entering a war zone.

That was only reinforced when our plane performed a “combat landing” which entailed making a very rapid decent from a high elevation in order to minimize the risk of receiving enemy fire. Ben and Will had been invited up to the flight deck to experience the landing from the best seats in the house. Shelton, Alge and I were back in the rear of the plane trying to keep ourselves from getting nauseous and losing our breakfast.

After deplaning we shook hands with the airmen at Baghdad Airport and then headed to the main coalition camp. After lunch with the solders at their DFAC (dining facility), the players toured Al Faw Palace and met with the troops working there.

Al Faw had served as one of Saddam Hussein’s residences. It is a majestic structure made of fine marble and is replete with ornate chandeliers and other signs of opulence. The palace has been transformed by the coalition forces to serve as the headquarters of the Multi-National Core (MNC). The commanding officer for the entire MNC in Iraq is General Ray Odierno. General Odierno asked to meet with the players, as he is a big football fan and he wanted to thank the guys for coming all this way to meet with the troops.

General Odierno ended up spending nearly 20 minutes chatting with the players. He talked about our recent strategy in Baghdad and some of its initial successes. But he went on to caution that in this battle, one can’t rush to judgment too quickly as things are constantly changing. General Odierno “coined” all the players before we left (with Army insignia coins) and we reciprocated by giving him a limited edition Super Bowl XLI coin.

It really is surreal being in Baghdad right now. As Ben Watson said to me as we were leaving the Al Faw Palace, we are in the middle of the most volatile place on earth right now, but it feels completely safe on this military base. We ate lunch with soldiers who were merrily talking football and joking with the players, but an hour or two later some of those same soldiers would be patrolling the streets of Baghdad worrying about sniper fire from above or IEDs along the road. After the Al Faw Palace, it was on to the Camp Slayer MWR Center (Morale, Welfare and Recreation). And yes, everything in the military has an acronym.

We did a meet-and-greet at the Camp Slayer MWR Center. I was proud of the guys as they signed autograph after autograph, bringing the same energy to the last one as the very first.

We have one more meet-and-greet scheduled for this evening and then hope to have dinner with the troops again at the DFAC. Then we will get to bed and hopefully catch a few hours of sleep before another exciting day tomorrow. Today was a long day but it was worth it knowing that we showed our appreciation to a lot of troops.

Day 3: Baghdad and Beyond

Breakfast at the DFAC found us seated with an outspoken soldier from Mississippi who had strong views on his favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons.

“Where’s Alge? Where’s Alge?” he screamed when he learned that Alge Crumpler was with our group but just hadn’t made it to breakfast yet. Without Alge to pepper with questions about catching passes from Michael Vick or the new coaching schemes of Bobby Petrino, the soldier settled for quizzing Shelton Quarles about his Buccaneers intra-division battles with the Falcons.

One thing I’ve learned here in Iraq is that despite being halfway around the world, the soldiers do a great job of keeping up with NFL football. The soldiers watch games live on Armed Forces Radio and TV Network, even though the eight-hour time difference often has them watching in the middle of the night. The televisions in the DFAC are always tuned to ESPN or other sports programming. Yesterday, NFL Live on ESPN was on television, which allowed the guys to get updated on the new free-agent signings.

Our itinerary for Day 3 called for us to leave Baghdad on a C-130 at zero nine-hundred hours. However, when we arrived at B.I.A.P. (Baghdad International Airport) we learned that our plane had been diverted and our departure was now scheduled for thirteen hundred hours. We now had four hours to kill at B.I.A.P., so we set up a meet-and-greet with troops on-site. The players signed approximately 150-200 autographs each and had nearly as many pictures snapped with them.

The commanding officer on the base was Colonel Brian Meal of the 447th Air Expeditionary Group. He “coined” all of our players (with Army insignia coins) before we finished the signing. The four players then met with the fire department crew that was responsible for B.I.A.P. The fire department was comprised of National Guardsmen from the U.S. who are firemen back home.

After chatting with the firemen and signing autographs, the players asked if they could take a spin in the fire truck. Since all four players couldn’t fit into the first fire truck, the firemen brought out a second truck to accommodate everyone. The only problem was that the firemen took the players on such an extended tour of the airbase that SMSgt Brown, who heads the fire department, became worried that he would miss an eleven hundred hour meeting with a group of Iraqis that they are training to become the first post-Saddam fire department in Baghdad. It is these kinds of stories—of American firemen who are overseas as members of the National Guard and in turn helping to establish an Iraqi fire department—that we don’t hear enough about back in the States.

After two delays our zero nine-hundred departure didn’t actually take place until fifteen hundred hours. One thing I was warned about before departing for this trip (my first overseas tour with the USO) was the need to be flexible. Regardless of what our daily itinerary said, I was told to expect it to change at least once. When you are in a war zone, things are always in flux and air assets get redeployed by commanders all the time due to military need.

“Military need” sure sounded like a better rationale for a delayed flight than the usual explanations you hear when flying commercial such as, “unusual weather patterns in the Midwest.”

Once we were finally airborne, the C-130 took us to Al Ased in Anbar province in Western Iraq. We had intended to do a meet-and-greet at Al Ased but due to our delayed schedule we just stopped there briefly. While the players would have liked to spend more time with the troops in Al Ased, they tried not to disappoint by handing out stacks of autographed pictures. They had taken advantage of the delay in the morning to “pre-sign” hundreds of photos for the soldiers at the base. After our brief stop in Al Ased, the group split in half. We then boarded two Chinook helicopters, which transported us to Barwanah, a very small base in Anbar province.

Flying to Barwanah gave a great sense of the vastness of the Iraqi desert and the isolation of some of our “forward operating bases” or FOBS. The Barwanah base seemed like it was not just located in a remote part of a foreign country; it felt like it was on another planet.

The ground at Barwanah was covered with extremely fine sand that the soldiers called, “moon dust.” I could best describe it as light brown baby powder or talcum powder. And there were large accumulations of it in many places such that it was more than six inches deep. In many places you would take a step and find your entire foot and ankle sink into this moon dust.

Needless to say, because of the remoteness of Barwanah, not many visitors get to make the trip to see the 300 or so troops stationed there. In fact, we learned upon our arrival that we were the very first group of DVs (distinguished visitors) to ever step foot on the base. Out of all the entertainers, athletes, politicians, and other civilians that go overseas to visit with American troops, no group before us had ever set foot in Barwanah. In part for this reason, our visit was probably the most impactful stop on our tour to date. The soldiers stationed in Barwanah were so appreciative of our coming to see them. You could see it in their faces and hear it in their words. As Cpl. Joshua Guzon of Auburn, California said, “To see these NFL players give up part of their time off to visit us in this deep corner of the world is just amazing. I didn’t think anyone knew that we were here. So now these guys know what it is like for us.”

As valuable as our visit was for the Marines in Barwanah, I think that our group of players might have gotten more out of it than the troops that they visited did. As Will Shields writes:

Wow! What a sight to behold. The thought of being the first group to visit these troops was amazing. We hit the ground with a cloud of dust blowing all over us. Cool, I thought. All simple thoughts—until we walked on this earth that looked like snow but felt like moon dust. As I walked through the camp I felt a change in atmosphere. Yesterday was calm and today a little bit more tense. Guns were out, helmets on and all eyes were peering out over the dunes. We are in a zone where war is fresh on the troops’ mind.

We were brought in with open arms. The young men took us around the camp that was just sand and wood. A little different than the camp we just left -- stone and steel. This was a sight to behold—men connected and taking care of each other like brothers. Every direction you looked, all you could see was desert. It is amazing to know how each soldier has his or her own opinion on the war. And right now I’m just trying to get the best feel for the country of Iraq and the war that we are in. It was so amazing that the soldiers in Barwanah invited us to participate in a ceremony for their fallen comrade, Cpl. Ellis. The fact that they invited us into their personal space was pretty special.

After spending a couple hours in Barwanah with the troops stationed there, the NFL group left covered in moon dust but also truly touched for the time we had spent with the soldiers there.

The next stop for us was the Haditha Dam, a large hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River in Western Iraq that was constructed in the 1960s. The dam is now controlled by American forces, and is currently supplying over one-third of all the electricity being used in Iraq.

The Haditha Dam also serves as an Army base. The Chinook helicopters that we took from Barwanah to Haditha landed on the very top of the dam .We then went down five or six flights of stairs into the dam to the bases’ DFAC. After grabbing some chow with the Marines serving at the Haditha Dam, we set up a meet-and-greet during which the players again signed autographed and took photos with everyone who stopped by. It was then off to the fifth floor of the dam’s structure which was halfway between the surface of the water and the bottom of the Euphrates River, where our bunks for the night were located.

Today might have started a bit slow for us, but it ended up as being as jam-packed and fulfilling as a day possibly could be.

Day 4

After a couple of hours of sleep, we were again awake and ready to go. When the NFL was planning this trip with the USO back in January and February, we told the USO we wanted an aggressive itinerary that allowed us to visit as many troops in as many different locations as possible. Well, the USO certainly complied. As a result, we have to rely on adrenaline rather than sleep and downtime as our source of energy. That is exactly the way our players want it.

Our accommodations last night could be considered Spartan at best. I have noticed a trend in the quality and comfort of our accommodations—and this trend hasn’t necessarily been in the right direction. We spent our first night at the Hilton in Kuwait City. Each of the guys had his own room, many of which looked out over the clear waters of the Persian Gulf. The next night was spent with the army in Camp Victory in Baghdad. We stayed at Camp Victory in what the army refers to as “hooches,” which are effectively metal trailers subdivided into three separate living quarters. Each room has two beds and houses two men or women. The latrines and showers were in trailers that were a good distance away from our quarters. This resulted in our NFL Films cameraman, Dave Malek, getting lost in the middle of the night when he woke up to use the bathroom but was unable to locate his trailer on his way back. After wandering around for twenty minutes and testing countless doors, Dave finally found his home for the night.

Last night at Haditha Dam, we had our most modest living quarters yet. All nine men in the NFL-USO party were put in one barracks-style room with five bunk beds. When we entered our room, none of the bed had any sheets, pillows or blankets on them. This led me to inquire to our Marine P.O.C. (point of contact) whether we would be receiving sheets for the beds. He shook his head to indicate no and then quickly left. Shelton and Alge got quite a kick out of this. They ribbed me a bit by exclaiming, “Sheets? Sheets? Sheets?!” in a tone intentionally reminiscent of the one that Jim Mora, Sr. used in his often replayed press conference of a number of years ago when he was asked about his teams’ playoff chances.

The guys didn’t blink, though, at the modesty of our quarters. Despite sleeping on thin, worn mattresses with no linens or pillows, I didn’t hear one complaint. These four guys realize that they have it easy compared to the Marines who are stationed here.

Not just the players, but our entire traveling party for the NFL-USO trip has been exceptional. Our party has consisted of the four players and me; Jeff Anthony of the USO, a former Marine and veteran of two NFL tours and countless others; Dave Malek of NFL Films, who is capturing our experiences on video; Mike Theiler of the USO, a still photographer who is also documenting the trip; and Scott Past, a DOD official who has arranged almost all of our logistical details in the Iraqi A.O.E. (area of engagement). Without the labors and dedication of each individual in this group, our tour wouldn’t be close to the success that it has been so far.

At 0900 hours it was wheels up in our two Chinook helicopters. We were destined for Camp Rawah, a remote COP (camp outpost) in Northwestern Anbar Province, Iraq.

Rawah was another out-of-the-way outpost where the troops were thrilled to see NFL players, as it is very rare that celebrities or VIPS make it there. Captain Scott Hermann described why it is so valuable for the soldiers to receive these kinds of visits, “It brings a piece of home to us here. It makes us realize that folks back home are still thinking of us.” About 300 Marines are stationed at Rawah, and every single one on the base got an autograph, photograph and/or mini football from the players. We also got to witness a re-enlistment ceremony as a gentleman who had been in the Marines for nearly 30 years re-upped for another tour of duty with his fellow soldiers.

We then had lunch with the soldiers at their DFAC. The chow at Rawah was some of the best that we have had in Iraq. The soldiers had a large outdoor grill in front of their DFAC where they had been cooking steaks, hotdogs and chicken. Our four players had worked up quite an appetite after signing autographs for nearly two hours with the smell of charred steak in the air. Hence, it wasn’t a big surprise for anyone when we found Alge in a deep sleep (which the other guys termed a “food coma”) after lunch.

At 1300 hours, a new transport helicopter came to Rawah to pick us up and bring us to our next stop. This helicopter was a C-53 Sea Stallion, which required us all to get harnessed into our seats before takeoff. Will went up front with the crew and helped serve as a lookout for the gunners. While harnessing ourselves into our seats in the back of the C-53 made it seem like we could be on an amusement park ride at first, there was absolutely no escaping the fact that we were in a very real war zone. Our first stop was Camp Al Qaim, a base on the Syrian border in Western Iraq. Al Qaim was more built up than the last couple of bases that we’d been on, which provided an interesting contrast for us. For instance, the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) center at Al Qaim had a gym that could service an entire football team. “Wow. They have a D-1 facility here!” exclaimed Ben Watson, perhaps remembering his collegiate days as a Georgia Bulldog.

The players did another meet-and-greet at Al Qaim and then took a quick tour around the camp to visit with those who weren’t able to make it over to the MWR center for an autograph. We also received a briefing from a Marine sergeant who had been brought in from Quantico, Virginia to help optimize the operations at Al Qaim. This sergeant told us that the Department of Defense would not have brought the USO tour to Al Qaim about a year ago, but such considerable progress had been made in the area over the past year that it was now a relatively safe area.

It was then back aboard our Sea Stallion chopper for a rather lengthy flight to our next destination, Korean Village. Korean Village, which is located in the far western part of Iraq near the Jordanian border, received its name due to the fact that Saddam Hussein brought laborers from Korea to Iraq in the 1980s to build his national highway system. Korean Village consists of a handful of concrete buildings on the main highway out of the country to Syria.

With a few minutes before it was time to grab some chow, I asked Ben Watson to share some of his thoughts on Iraq so far:

Real. I don’t care how much MSNBC, CNN or FOXNEWS you watch. I don’t care how many times the words “Iraq” or “Fallujah” or “Baghdad” go across the ticker coupled with “insurgents,” “firefights” and “casualties.” I don’t care how well informed one may think they are about Operation Iraqi Freedom. The reality of the situation is that you think you know, but you have no idea. I thought I knew. And I did: I knew the geography of each country. I knew all the important “strategic” landmarks. I knew how the soldiers felt about the war, that they all wanted to be out of here ASAP. As we conclude day four, the reality is that I have been forever changed. Ever since landing in Kuwait City, for probably the first time, utterly powerless. Though I am not enlisted in the Armed Forces, I realize that I am now a target. I have stepped into this conflict and it scares me. But I wouldn’t give this feeling up for the world. We have been lodging on and visiting numerous bases scattered throughout Iraq. In talking to troops I have heard stories of surprise mortar attacks, best friends being killed, and the frustration of fighting an enemy you sometimes can’t even see. It is a humbling experience. You know it’s bad when you are touring a base with a soldier and he tells you to spread out from the group to avoid mass casualties from a hit. Real. I’m thinking—how do you live and mentally operate under the reality that each step could be your last. That someone out there would love nothing more than to blow you to pieces. In spite of it all there is an overwhelming sense of resolve to keep the faith and continue the course, whatever that course may be.

Three military bases. Four NFL players. Hundreds of troops reached. Another successful day for the NFL-USO tour.

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5698

Ellie