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Coffee & Donuts J
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Coffee & Donuts J
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Roger that!
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By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2003 -- Roger Clemens has pitched in front of 55,000 screaming Yankees fans. He has won deciding World Series games. What would impress him?
A pre-Christmas trip to visit American troops in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and aboard the USS Constellation in the Persian Gulf impressed and humbled him, he said during an ESPN interview.
The Yankee right-hander said the memories of the World Series and parades in New York were unbelievable, "but this trip I did prior to Christmas was by far the neatest thing I've done in my professional life."
Clemens and comedian Drew Carey flew with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, to visit American troops in the region. "It is primarily to show the folks deployed in the region that America cares," Myers said. "One of the ways you do that is to take personalities like Roger Clemens over there. The crowds responded to him in a very dynamic and amazing way. He related very quickly to them."
At each stop, Clemens told the troops of his experiences on Sept. 11, 2001. "The Rocket" was to pitch that night looking for his 20th win of the season. A friend called and told him of the attacks. Clemens raced to the top of his apartment building where he watched the Twin Towers collapse. "I told them how we felt (during the attack) and how I felt when we heard the National Anthem again, as players, when we took the field," he said.
Myers said the troops could identify with the experience. "Our forces very much understand why they're a long way from home," he said. "They understand the threat that international terrorism poses to our citizens, our friends and our allies. (Clemens) was able to very quickly identify with them that way.
"I just wanted to do my part," Clemens said. "If it meant signing 20,000 autographs to do that, or shake hands and give people hugs, that's what we did."
The pitcher said the trip brought home to him what America's military does for all citizens. He said the fact that he can play a game he loves in freedom is a tribute to the men and women of the armed forces. Clemens, whose older brother Richard served in Vietnam, said that since the trip he gets upset if people are negative about the U.S. military. "(This is) because you really don't know what's going on over there," he said. "If something does happen, I know I've met some people who probably won't come home."
"Roger Clemens saying, 'This is the most moving thing I've ever been involved in,' is a huge statement on the dedication of our young men and women," Myers said. "He was impressed by it. He was impressed by their attitudes, their dedication, their discipline, their professionalism. I think it's a great tribute."
Army Pfc. Edward L. Stokes, of the Florida National Guard’s Troop E, 153rd Cavalry, from Ocala, Fla., prepares equipment Jan. 12 for a three-week deployment to Fort Stewart. More than 100 soldiers from the scout unit will help train Florida National Guard infantry soldiers deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by Lt. Col. Ron Tittle
Florida Guard Scouts Support Deployment
By Army Pfc. Bradley A. Staggs
107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
OCALA, Fla. — It would have been easy to be miserable on a January morning in Florida that started cold and simply got colder as the hours passed, especially once the rain started. It would have been easy to complain about being taken away from family and friends to drive several hours in a noisy 5-ton truck with heat coming only from the engine. But not on this day. And not from these men.
Florida Army National Guard scouts of Troop E, 153rd Cavalry deployed for three weeks to Fort Stewart, Ga., to support Florida soldiers of the 53rd Infantry Brigade headed overseas for Operation Enduring Freedom. Using their annual training time, Troop E was tasked to assist as opposition forces, or OPFOR, to train the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 124th Infantry Regiment.
“We’ll help our guys any way we can,” Sgt. Theron Nelson of Troop E said, as he prepared his vehicle for the convoy to Georgia. “Our role happens to be in support of the guys going overseas.”
The mood among the soldiers working to prepare their vehicles and equipment was upbeat and spirits were high even as some breathed on their hands to keep warm. The Ocala-based soldiers knew their mission was vital in order to assure success of the 124th Infantry Regiment they are helping to train. In their role as OPFOR, the soldiers of Troop E will set up ambushes, attack using unconventional methods, and use civilian style housing to hide in as they make the experience for the 124th Infantry Regiment as real as possible.
With the operations underway in the Persian Gulf, the importance of Troop E’s training mission was not lost on 1st Lt. Lance Sellon, a platoon leader. “Certainly it (raises the importance level), but one of the things we always pride ourselves on is always trying to train at a high level. Regardless of what our mission is, we are always doing our best so 2nd and 3rd Battalion will benefit from the training.”
Many of the Troop E soldiers noted that preparations for their own deployment to Fort Stewart gave them a taste of what personal considerations they needed to take care of prior to deployment. They said families need to be taken care of as well as bills and the little everyday things most of us take for granted, but thanks to an Army pre-mobility program, most were prepared and will be ready if the call comes.
Nelson summed up his feelings: “My family doesn’t like me leaving, but they understand and support me and the guys in my unit. They know when the call comes, I’ll be here. I’m a can-do soldier.”
More than 1,000 soldiers from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 124th Infantry Regiment mobilized and deployed to Fort Stewart on Jan. 6 for additional training and processing. The 1st Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment based out of Miami received their mobilization orders on Jan. 12, with orders to report to Fort Stewart no later than Jan. 19.
I was truly thankful and thrilled to have discovered FR and most especially the USO Canteen thread where I can say THANK YOU and give honor to the men and women who have served and are currently serving in our Military.
Sink or swim
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Senior Airman Robert Cordell swims across the pool while wearing his anti-exposure suit during water survival training here. The swimming pool training provides students a realistic environment for using life-support equipment in water. Cordell is a C-130 Hercules loadmaster from the base's 36th Airlift Squadron. (Photo by Master Sgt. Val Gempis)
Don't move
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- Airman Antwone Hymes from the 31st Security Forces Squadron here takes aim from a turret while on patrol. Hymes mans an M-249 mounted to the tactical truck which posts in various areas during random anti-terrorism measures protecting the base populous from intruders. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Isaac G. L. Freeman)
Break out the shovels
PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. -- Snowbanks are piled upwards of 30 feet in some locations here Jan. 12. The base is home to the 157th Air Refueling Wing and is strategically located in southern New Hampshire, easing refueling support for trans-Atlantic flights. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Timothy Psaledakis)
Ruff job
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Staff Sgt. Samuel Pruett keeps a close eye on his partner, Dasty, as he runs through the tunnel during training at the military working dog obstacle course here Jan. 10. Both man and dog are assigned to the base's 4th Security Forces Squadron. (Photo by Staff Sgt. James W. Arrowood)
