Coin Strand
2011
Former NFL players eat cake and take it too on USO tou
Day 4 of the 2011 NFL-USO tour began at Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif, in the north of Afghanistan. The plan for the day was to “FOB hop” to several bases in the region. FOB hopping — which is a staple of NFL-USO tours — is when you visit multiple small Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in succession, flying by helicopter from one to the next. FOB hoping allows you to spend time with the troops on the front lines — the men and women waging war in some of the most remote places on Earth. And given the remoteness of many of the FOBs in Afghanistan, it is an even bigger deal than usual when celebrities such as NFL greats show up. where to buy cheap NFL Jerseys?ujersy is a good choice.
Before beginning our day of FOB hopping, we had a meet-and-greet with the troops at Camp Marmal. This meet-and-greet was noteworthy for the friendly (at least I think it was friendly) argument that broke out between two soldiers to determine who is the biggest Steelers fan on base. Staff Sergeant (SSG) Boyd, a native of South Carolina, made his case first, noting that he has a sign at the front of his driveway at home declaring “Stop. Alert. You are in Steelers Country!” This is followed by a sign in his garage, “Parking Reserved for Steelers Fans Only.” SSG Boyd told us that he hadn’t missed a single Steelers game during his deployment, even though this required that he trade shifts and even take on extra shifts to adjust his schedule appropriately.
In the other corner, also claiming to be the biggest Steelers fan on base, was Specialist Isiah Phillips, who said that he could prove his love for the Steelers in one easy way. He then proceeded to remove his army uniform blouse and roll up the sleeve of his undershirt, revealing a massive Steelers tattoo that covered his entire upper arm.
Merril Hoge, who of course played seven years for the Steelers, was called in to settle the dispute. Merril was convinced by both parties’ argument and diplomatically called it a draw. This decision may or may not have been impacted by the fact that both soldiers had their rifles in hand when Merril offered his judgment.
Following the meet-and-greet at Camp Marmal, our group divided up into two Blackhawk helicopters that would ferry us around northern Afghanistan for the day. Military helicopters always fly in tandem to provide support and protection for one another.
The first FOB we visited was Ghormach, a 50 minute flight to the southwest of Camp Marmal. During the flight, we had terrific views of the stark and rugged — but beautiful — Afghanistan landscape. Flying over the country, you really get a sense of why Afghanistan has been so slow to embrace modernity, and also why it is so hard to successfully fight a war there. The country is filled with jagged mountains rising up sharply from the land below. Usually several ridge lines separate one village from the next, with the villages only being connected by a dirt road, if at all. Afghanistan is a beautiful country though, with snowcapped mountains and splashes of greenery dotting the otherwise inhospitable landscape.
When we arrived at FOB Ghormach, we were greeted by First Sergeant (1SG) Franklin, who is the senior enlisted soldier on base. First Sergeant Franklin explained to us that his team had only taken command of the FOB three weeks prior. They were still working to build up the FOB and learn the terrain. There are currently 88 soldiers on base, but they plan to get up to 150 men.
Day 5 of the 2011 NFL-USO found our group “FOB hopping” once again, visiting several small Forward Operating Bases in northern Afghanistan. Our itinerary for the day was an aggressive one, with a goal of visiting five different bases spread across the region. If successful, we would reach thousands of troops in a remote corner of Afghanistan. recommend directory: GARRARD #9 Jacksonville Jaguars Green NFL Jersey.
We began at Camp Spann, where we had spent the previous evening. Our quarters at Spann were tight, with Hoge, the two Millens (Matt and his son Lt Marcus Millen), Muñoz, and SSG Welsh all bunking in one room. The two young soldiers, probably exhausted from the six months they have spent conducting reconnaissance missions in southern Afghanistan, slept great. The three old guys tossed and turned for several hours, though, before deciding that their attempts to sleep were futile and engaging in conversation across the room. Matt Millen would later admit that he hasn’t slept more than a few hours in the past three days — and he wasn’t feeling tired — because he was so energized from seeing his son. Marcus Millen quipped the next morning, in reference to the chatty guys in his room, “Yeah, I slept great last night, aside from the teenage girls who chatted away all night like it was a slumber party.”
After breakfast at Camp Spann, our group had a quick meet-and-greet with the Brigade Commander and Colonel who lead the troops in northern Afghanistan. CSM Grinston and COL Matlock thanked our guys for making the trip to Afghanistan and presented them with the 170th Brigade coin. The NFL greats reciprocated, presenting coins from their former teams and a limited edition Super Bowl XLV game coin from Highland Mint.
We then moved to the base’s Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) and boarded Blackhawks to set out for the day’s second stop, FOB Khelegey. Khelegey is home to Specialist Henry Trahan, who told us that his small base of 170 troops hadn’t been visited by any other celebrity entertainers during the unit’s deployment. Upon greeting Hoge, Millen, and Muñoz at the entrance to the FOB, Specialist Trahan said, “the guys on base are so excited to meet you guys. I can’t wait just to see their faces when they see you.”
Our group hosted a meet-and-greet at FOB Khelegy and toured the base, chatting with the soldiers at their stations. The players interacted with the troops so effortlessly, often asking guys where they are from back home and then going on to discuss the soldier’s favorite college and pro teams. It seemed like every soldier from California was invited by Millen to drop by Anthony Muñoz’s mother’s house in Ontario, CA to try Mrs. Muñoz’s famous tamales and other Mexican treats.
Following our visit to Khelegey, we were back on the Blackhawks and off to FOB Kunduz. Once again, we flew over beautiful terrain on our way over to Kunduz, with the FOB finally appearing out of nowhere after miles of uninhabited terrain. At Kunduz, we were escorted around the base by Captain Strand of South Dakota. CPT Strand and his unit just arrived at Kunduz three weeks prior and already have done a tremendous job strengthening and improving the camp.
Rather than having a staged meet-and-greet at Kunduz, CPT Strand escorted us around the large base, introducing our group to as many as possible of the 1,200 troops stationed there. We visited the soldiers working in the operations center, medical clinic, maintenance shed, and even the kitchen. Everywhere we went we met dedicated soldiers who looked to excel at every mission, whether it was tutoring the Afghan National Army (ANA) or cooking dinner. recommend directory: JONES-DREW #32 Jacksonville Jaguars Green NFL Jersey.
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