Meeting Celebrities & NFL Legends While Deployed

Picture of me with my autographed photos. January 2022

So, there I was, deployed yet again to the middle east. It was my second time in Kuwait, the first being in 2001 during 9/11, but that’s another story for a different time.

During the 2008 deployment, word spread quickly around the Ali Al Salem Air Base that a USO tour would take place in July. The USO lineup included: Drew Brees, QB of the Saints; Osi Umenyiora, Defensive End for the Giants; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; Jack Lengyel, on whom the movie “We Are Marshall” is based; Milo Ventimiglia from the hit TV show, “Hero’s”; and two Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Back then I wasn’t a big football fan nor a Hero’s TV show fan, so I was more excited than anything to see the cheerleaders.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The day fast approached, and everyone around the base that could go went to the base theater for the meet-and-greet. Thankfully, even though I was working that day, my boss, Eric, was kind enough to take me, and we waited patiently in line. The wait was about 45 minutes. First, we met Drew Brees and Osi Umenyiora, shook their hands, and got a photo with them. I was surprised and impressed with how down-to-earth, they were.

Next up, we met Roger Goodell and Jack Lengyel, who were also very warm and friendly. We met Milo Ventimiglia, and the same transpired as before; we shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and got a quick photograph.

Lastly, we met the two Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. I don’t recall their names, but they were sincerely friendly, easy on the eyes, and we got our photos with them. Even though the wait was long, the meet-and-greet event flew by in an instant and was worth it.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE

As Eric and I were leaving the theater, we noticed a table with some photos on it near the exit door. We looked, and there were official, autographed photos of each member of the USO tour. We both collected our copies of the photos and left.

YEARS GONE BY

Sadly, over time I’ve lost most of the photos from that deployment, and I’ve misplaced most of those autographed pictures. Thankfully, I still managed to keep two of the photos from that USO visit: the one from Drew Brees and Osi Umenyiora. Over the years, I’ve grown more appreciative of the fact that those individuals took time out of their busy schedules to go overseas and show their love and support for the troops. They didn’t have to but did it anyway, and I appreciate that.

Drew Brees playing flag football with deployed troops at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa. (YouTube video courtesy of USO). April, 2010