In a day filled in fun, firsts, and heartfelt gratitude, Ivory, Terri, Bradshaw and Ron Simmons teamed up with the Washington Redskins cheerleaders to entertain and show support for U.S. Armed Forces based in the Persian Gulf.
The four Superstars are traveling under the auspices of AFE (Armed Forces Entertainment) and will be in Kuwait for the next three days.
Today’s tour took them to the Ali Al Salem Air Base, where they were able eat lunch with, sign autographs for, and entertain the troops stationed at the base. Afterwards, they headed off to Camp Doha where they, along with the Redskins cheerleaders, became the first group of entertainers to get a tour of the CFLIC (Coalition Forces Land Component Command) war room, the place from which the commanders of Operation Iraqi Freedom directed the war effort.
The day began around 10:30 a.m., when the Superstars boarded the bus to take them to Ali Al Salem. Much to their surprise and pleasure, especially Bradshaw’s and Simmons’, the Redskins cheerleaders were on the bus and scheduled to partner with WWE for the day’s activities.
After an hour bus ride, they arrived at the base and went directly to the mess hall at “The Rock” to eat with members of the Air Force. There, they ate, talked and took pictures with the troops before heading off to the Marine camp on the base, which is called “The Snake Pit.”
Here, they signed autographs, spoke to the troops and took part in an entertaining performance put on by the Redskin cheerleaders. Hundreds of Marines braved the 120-plus-degree temperatures to get an autograph and picture with the Superstars before heading over to their converted mess tent for the speeches and shows.
More than a thousand troops crowded into the mess tent for the performance. After a brief introduction, Ivory came out and addressed the troops, telling them how proud and grateful everyone in the U.S. is of them. Terri came out next and entertained them in her own special way, showing them a red, white, and blue bathing suit that cheered the troops to no end.
Simmons and Bradshaw then gave the troops a heartfelt thanks in their unique APA style. Bradshaw mentioned that although he and Simmons might kick some ass on television, the troops are the real deal and the true heroes for the American people.
Bradshaw got perhaps the biggest response when, noting the region’s prohibition on drinking alcohol, he commented that the next time some bastard (Saddam Hussein) wants to screw with America, “he better do it where I can get a damn beer.”
After the APA finished speaking, the cheerleaders proved why they are simply the best cheerleading squad in professional sports. They danced, sang, and danced some more. They even got Bradshaw out on the dance floor.
During their performance, Bradshaw, in what we believe is not only a WWE first but a first for mankind, became the first person to be leied by the entire Washington Redskins cheerleading team. Everyone in attendance will claim that the cheerleaders simply hung a necklace of flowers around his neck, but Bradshaw’s sticking with the interpretation that he got leied.
The Redskins cheerleaders are nearing the end of a 21-day tour that has taken them to several countries in Middle East and Africa. According to Lt. Sergio Rios of the U.S. Air Force, they are the most requested cheerleaders on the AFE circuit. After seeing them perform, it’s easy to see why. They even managed to turn Simmons and Bradshaw from Redskins haters into Redskins fans. Now, if they could only find those two some beer!
The show was a rousing success, and although the Superstars and the cheerleaders could have stayed all day at the base, it was time to head off to Camp Doha and visit with CFLIC.
At Doha, they were greeted by Deputy Commander General Stephen Speakes, and given an honorary medal from the Third Infantry Division. Later, they were given a tour of the war room, and even let in to the conference room from which the generals commanded over 200,000 troops during the war. They were also able to meet with and thank many members of the service who work in the high-tech command center.
After leaving Doha, the Superstars headed back to their hotel for some much-earned rest. Friday, they will be visiting more troops in Kuwait and continuing to do their best to entertain the men and women of the armed forces, while thanking them for their sacrifices on behalf of the people of the United States of America.
Day two of Ivory, Terri, Bradshaw, and Ron Simmons’ tour of military bases and camps in Kuwait began early in the morning with a two-hour bus ride from their hotel in Kuwait City to Camp Pennsylvania. As with yesterday, the Washington Redskins cheerleaders were aboard.
Just about everything outside of the capital city can be considered remote. But Camp Pennsylvania is remote even by Kuwaiti standards. We basically drove north along a paved highway for about 40 minutes before turning into the desert and traveling across wasteland for just over an hour. What the slow and bumpy ride lacked in comfort, it more than made for in the time it gave Simmons and Bradshaw to bond with the cheerleaders. So all in all, the trip across the desert went very well.
Camp Pennsylvania is a staging camp for troops coming down from Iraq who are either preparing for their next assignment, waiting to go home or who are on a little R&R. The camp made headlines at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom when a U.S. soldier turned on his own troops and threw a grenade into a tent, killing two men and injuring many others.
The camp is a tented city that can house up to several thousand troops, depending on the needs of the military. And despite being in the middle of nowhere, the troops do have Internet and phone access. Their tents are air conditioned as well. Of course, they hardly live in five-star accommodations. Daytime temperatures can soar to near 140 degrees; it was 135 while we were there, and even though the tents are air-conditioned, the temperature in the tents remains around 90 degrees. Still, the troops we met remained remarkably good-spirited, and exceptionally adjusted to the harsh environmental conditions.
Several hundred troops gathered for the speeches and performances by the WWE Superstars and the cheerleaders. The soldiers were very into the performance, and once again, a good time was had by both the Superstars and the troops in attendance. In addition to the speeches and performances, the Superstars held an autograph signing and ate lunch with the troops. As fun as it is to perform and thank the troops, the most rewarding time is often spent at the mess hall were the Superstars can sit, talk and spend some time with soldiers.
“It’s nice to be able to have a real conversation with these men and women,” Simmons commented.
“We do only get to talk with them for a little while, but you get to relate personally to them, thank them one on one, and just have a good time with them. What they are doing over here is amazing and it’s a real pleasure to sit down with them. We (celebrities) often get looked at like we are heroes, but these guys are the real heroes and to be able to share a meal with them is a real honor.”
After spending a couple hours with the troops at Camp Pennsylvania, we headed off for another staging camp, Camp Virginia, about another two hours away. Camp Virginia was similar in look and purpose to Camp Pennsylvania. Once again, Ivory, Terri, Bradshaw, and Simmons thanked the troops and did their best to rally them with some much-needed humor and encouragement.
Many of the soldiers we talked to have been away from home for several months and miss it very badly; a visit by a few Superstars really does mean something to these men and women. It’s not only that they are being visited by someone they watch on television or may admire. Just as much, it’s knowing that people care. Iraq and the middle of the Kuwaiti desert are a long way from home, and although the soldiers in Kuwait can communicate with family and friends from home, it’s still along way from being there. Seeing and talking to the Superstars brought a little bit of home to them and it was much appreciated.
Even soldiers who don’t watch WWE were appreciative of the Superstars. “What these guys are doing is really important,” said Army Pfc. Ralph Marcano. “It really helps the guys out. We don’t get too many visitors out here, and it means a lot to know that people haven’t forgotten about us back home.”
The Superstars stayed at Camp Virginia well into the evening before heading back to the hotel in Kuwait City. How the bus driver drove across the desert and managed to get us back is anyone’s guess. Although everyone was tired by the time they got back to the hotel, they were in great spirits, buoyed by the troops and more appreciative than ever of what they are doing.
Day three of the Kuwait tour. Day three with no beer for the APA. Day one with no Redskins cheerleaders. Someone might very well snap.
The third and final day of the WWE Superstars tour of Kuwait included visits to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base and Camp Udairi. Like the previous two days’ visits, the Superstars ate meals with the troops, signed autographs, gave speeches and posed for many pictures.
With no cheerleaders on board and the temperatures continuing to rise into the 120s and 130s, many staff members along for the trip wondered what might happen. As it turned out, there were no international incidents. At the Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Bradshaw managed to make friends with the fire department, commandeer a fire truck and hose down the other Superstars and most of the crew and airmen who were with the big Texan at the time. No one was hurt, though, and no charges were filed. As a matter of fact, most people were happy to be hosed down and cooled off.
The Al Jaber Air Base first came into the public’s consciousness during the first Gulf War. There is a big arch that marks the entrance to the base, and right before the first Gulf War when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait, they took over the base and hung the Kuwaiti generals from the arch.
Early on in the war, U.S. forces made it a priority to retake the base, which they quickly did. In the process, they bombed a few massive airplane bunkers, and the damage to these bunkers can still be seen today. The bunkers were built by the French and supposed to be bomb-proof. Guess the French never figured that the U.S. would lay waste to them, because there were massive craters in the bunkers. We were given a tour of the bunkers and even allowed to climb up on one. This gave Terri the opportunity to put on one of the most impressive displays on the entire trip when she sprinted up the bunker in her ever-present high heels. Getting down was a little more difficult, but with the help of some Marines, she made it safe and sound.
After spending time with the soldiers there and getting a tour of a C-130, we headed off for Camp Udairi. On the way, we passed an area known as the “Boneyard.” This is an area of the desert where the Kuwaitis gathered scores of ruined Iraqi vehicles from the first Gulf War.
Bradshaw, who was given a tour on a previous trip to Kuwait, explained that it’s called the Boneyard not simply because the vehicles are there, but because there are still remains of Iraqi soldiers littered in the area. The scene looks like a post-apocalyptic junkyard. We weren’t allowed to touch anything, but we got quite close to the vehicles and were able to see up close how devastating war can be.
At Udairi, the Superstars once again spoke to and mingled with the troops, two of whom may be the biggest WWE fans in the military. Kayla Knight, a 23-year-old medic in the 101st Airborne, and Paul Pfaff, a 26-year-old fuel handler, also in the 101st, couldn’t have been happier to see the Superstars. Back in the U.S., they watch RAW and SmackDown! religiously, get all the pay-per-views, subscribe to both WWE and RAW Magazine, and go to every live show they can. In Kuwait, WWE programming is broadcast on Armed Forces Television, and the pay-per-views are shown for free, so they do their best to keep up with what’s going on in the world of sports-entertainment.
Both Kayla and Paul have flown several missions into Iraq. They’ve seen and felt the trials and tribulations of war, and they would like nothing better than to go home, be with friends and family and watch a little WWE. Like all the soldiers we met, however, they are extremely professional about their jobs, understand they are fulfilling a very important mission and will do whatever is necessary to get the job done. It was this kind of spirit that impressed everyone of the trip. Terri, speaking on behalf of the entire group, summed up the feeling.
“The trip was a little tough at times, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world,” she said. “To make those men and women smile and feel a little closer to home was wonderful. I think they did more for me than I did for them. It really makes you appreciate the freedoms and liberties we have when you know they come on the backs of the people we met face to face!”
As we left Udairi, the realization that the tour was over began to set in. Despite the heat and long hours, no one really wanted to go home. Terri said she was humbled and honored to be able to talk with and cheer up the troops. Ivory called the trip one of the proudest moments of her life. Simmons continued to marvel at the dedication of the troops, and Bradshaw, despite his threats to maim everyone on the tour except Simmons, was already planning his next trip.
Thanks to Lt. Sergio Rios, all the people at Armed Forces Entertainment in the U.S. and everyone who worked so hard on the ground in Kuwait, the entire trip ran very smoothly and every Superstar called it “a trip of a lifetime.” There was, however, one little snafu to come.
We were scheduled to fly out on British Airways early on Sunday. A strike by the airlines employees in London messed up the flight schedules, and since the Superstars had to get back to the U.S. for shows on Monday and Tuesday, we had to change our flight plans. Instead of flying British Airways to London and the American Airlines from London to New York, we had to take a direct flight from Kuwait to New York on Kuwaiti Airways. Now, Kuwaiti Airways is a fine airline. The trip was smooth, the service and food excellent. The only thing is, Kuwaiti Airways does not serve beer.
Fourteen more beerless hours for the APA. Will wonders never cease?
Seems like them 4 and the troops had a great time!
