I had the opportunity to stay in Iraq and visit Afghanistan after WWE had left. I have gone to visit the troops for the last three years with the Sergeant Major of the Army and the USO. It worked out this year that after the WWE tour was over, I was able to stay with the USO to see more soldiers.
I thought what WWE did was unparalleled in the entertainment industry, to pack up a whole show to go display support for our great soldiers. All the credit in the world goes to Vince McMahon for doing this.
I have to say that there have been a few people who gripe about what Vince said in his opening remarks. I have to ask, where were you when you saw his opening remarks? Iraq? I dont think so. And, what have you done to support our troops? Nothing, which is what I thought.
Vince took his whole SmackDown! crew to Iraq, including himself, this to me shows how much he cares about America. To say anything but positives is ridiculous. You guys who said something about him get off your ivory tower and do something like this yourself. Oh wait, you guys just like to sit back and gripe, but never care enough to do something yourself. Vince, on the other hand, has done more than you will ever do in your entire life to support America. But because you know you wont, you gripe.
This wasnt about politics. You werent there. Those troops loved what Vince said because they are sick of the media sitting in a hotel in Baghdad trying to report on something they have not seen. We visited about twenty bases; there was not one reporter to be seen. I talked with hundreds of soldiers who said the media was wrong in what they report. Vince merely voiced what the soldiers felt, listen to their response and you will see this is true.
I was surprised to see how wrong our media is about the war. Not one vehicle leaves an Army base without armor, not one. This is not reported. The soldier who asked Rumsfeld the question was not even in Iraq, I feel that is irresponsible.
I visited Abu Ghraib. Ninety-five percent of prisoners (2,496 total) had gained weight during their stay. When many were released by the Iraqi judicial system, which is fully functional, hundreds wanted to stay in prison. That is not being reported. These guys are treated better than they are in their own home.
I visited a soldier just hours after he was hit by the blast in Mosul. I heard he was a wrestling fan so they asked me to go see him. His face was horribly burned and he was complaining about pain in his knee due to shrap metal being stuck in it. I held his arm so that he knew I was there because he was blinded by the blast. I asked if he was going to be OK. He responded that he at first thought he was just lucky to be alive. He then said that he realized that he took that blast for his kid brother, for his family and for people like me. He said he was proud to have defended his country, and he looked forward to returning.
I could live a thousand lifetimes and never have a feeling like that. Talk about being in the presence of a hero. Tell me that was political. That was simply a great hero talking to a proud American that loved what he did for his country. I wish the media would report stuff like that. These guys are heroes.
No matter what you think about the war, whether you are democrat or republican, you have to admire and love our soldiers. I feel it is your responsibility as an American. I consider Al Franken a good friend. We disagree on politics; we dont disagree on our love for the country and our love for the soldiers that defend it. There are many people that attack Al, just like some of you attacked Vince. However, those people somehow never manage to support our troops like Al and Vince do?
Al has made five USO tours, which says a lot. How many trips have those who disagree with him made? How many have those of you that disagree with Vince made, and he took his whole company plus tons of gifts for the soldiers. How many gifts have you guys who complain sent? To me, what is right about America is the people who believe in America although they disagree on politics. What is wrong about America is those of you who complain and do nothing yourself. Quite honestly, you are pathetic.
They are building a USO hall in Kabul from money donated by the NFL in honor of former Arizona Cardinal linebacker Pat Tillman. What a great thing.
I cant tell you how much of a great feeling I got from our soldiers, these guys make America proud. One soldier that flew a Blackhawk helicopter made candy every morning to throw to kids that he flew over. The kids came out and waved everywhere we went. That certainly is not reported.
Sixteen of 18 provinces in Iraq are basically self sufficient. The Iraqi National Guard is starting to conduct missions on their own, although in most places they still need their hand held by the Americans. The Iraqi Police is rotten, but they were really only traffic cops before under Saddam. Progress is being made. The ticket home for these guys is the ING (Iraqi National Guard) to be trained. The Iraqis are sick of the insurgents, they dont love the Americans and our coalition being there, but they know that we are necessary for them to have their own country back.
With the help of the ING, over 90 percent of local tips end up in arrests. This doesnt sound like a quagmire like the media says. Those of you that disagree with me, remember, I just spent almost two weeks talking to soldiers without a political agenda who told me these things. I have seen them firsthand. I wish every American could see for themselves what a great job these soldiers do for our country. You would be proud.
I am extremely proud to work for a man like Vince that cares so much about his country, it makes you feel good about going to work every day. I feel proud to work with people who would be willing to spend their Christmas break doing the right thing. I feel honored to know people like Darryl Worley, Al Franken, Mark Wills, and Karri Turner who do the same.
I feel proud to have men and women who are so great defending our country in rotten places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
To all our troops: Come home safe. We reap the rewards of what you sow, you deserve to reap the rewards yourself. You are defending a great country that loves you, let us show our appreciation to you by you returning home safe. God bless you and thanks for what you do.
