NFL Nation: Gruden USO tour
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| USO Photo by Mike Theiler | |
| Jon Gruden attended a ceremony to naturalize dozens of military personnel at the Al Faw Palace in Baghdad on Saturday. |
Jon Gruden, former Raiders and Buccaneers coach and current "Monday Night Football" analyst, is joined by Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh on the inaugural NFL-USO Coaches Tour. The group is traveling to meet and greet service members for several days in the Persian Gulf region. Gruden sent an update from the tour:
Posted by Jon Gruden
TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm on a seven-hour time change. I just flew 15 hours from Iraq.
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On Saturday we met with Gen. Ray Odierno and went to a military meeting with some of his staff. It was incredible. We spent an hour with him and at 10 a.m., we watched the naturalization of 237 soldiers who were to receive their citizenship for the United States. Once again, Gen. Odierno gave a great speech. Vice President Joe Biden was there, and he gave a great speech. Every soldier was introduced individually, presented an American flag and given their official U.S citizenship. It was unbelievable. There was a great band there. We all recited the Pledge of Allegiance while dozens of people watched from the rafters. The soldiers congratulated each other after receiving their citizenship. Ultimately, it was a great way to spend the Fourth of July.
From there, we traveled to several events around Baghdad. We had a chance to meet many other soldiers. We finished the night by visiting the USO's ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new center.
I heard the tragic news about Steve McNair's death later that evening. We were all crushed. It was a terrible loss. He was one of the greatest competitors to ever play. He was a great guy, and for the people that knew him, I'm sure there are a lot of hearts that are crushed today. It's just awful news. I don't know what to say; it's just a shocking, tragic loss for all of us.
Saturday night we tried to catch a flight back to Washington, D.C., but unfortunately a sandstorm trapped us and we weren't able to make our flight. We stayed overnight in Kuwait and took an early flight Sunday morning to New York. From there, we caught our connecting flight back home Sunday night.
After a long trip I'm back home in Tampa now, with a whole new perspective on everything. It was a life-changing experience for me, and I know the other coaches would tell you the same thing. A lot of those guys have been over there for so long, breathing dust and working hard. I thought I knew a little bit about teamwork and preparation. I thought I knew a little bit about being tough and enduring pressure. But what these guys and gals are going through is moving. I have a new respect for being an American. I have a new respect for our military. What they have accomplished in Iraq needs to be better documented. The progress they've made and the accomplishments they've made is extraordinary. To witness the progress in person, is an unbelievable feeling.
I've been on top of foreign affairs and what's been going on over the years. I read newspapers and watch the evening news. But going over and really seeing the progress the Iraqis have made with our presence there is awesome. It's exciting. The enthusiasm they have for the progress and the future of their country is really amazing. Obviously a lot of lives were lost, but it's a better world today because our Army, Navy and Air Force work together for a great cause.
Unfortunately, the majority of the news you hear is negative. But there are so many more positives to report. There are so many unbelievable success stories out there. It's unfortunate that they aren't documented. I wish I had known of the progress, the living conditions, and of the sacrifices that people have made for all of us. Having seen that now, I have a whole new perspective and I'm glad I do.
The highlight of the trip was meeting Gen. Odierno. If I were an owner of a team, he would be the guy I'd want to be my head coach. He's been over there for more than three years, leading thousands of people in a windy, dusty place and he's kept it all together. He's the most impressive guy I've ever met and he made a really big impression on me.
I'd like to thank the USO, and the NFL for including me in this. There was great camaraderie between the coaches, too. We all shared a room, had a lot of laughs and ultimately, a lot of fun. We became closer friends because of our experiences we had together. I'd like to thank the troops because we had a chance to get on a plane and come home, but a lot of those troops have nine to 12 more months on their deployment and they are away from their families. I tip my hat to them, and I hope they all come home soon.
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| SO Photo by Mike Theiler | |
| U.S. Army Capt. Erica Chin of Texas tries on former NFL coach Jon Gruden's Super Bowl ring Thursday at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq. |
Jon Gruden, former Raiders and Buccaneers coach and current "Monday Night Football" analyst, is joined by Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh on the inaugural NFL-USO Coaches Tour. The group is traveling to meet and greet service members for several days in the Persian Gulf region. Gruden sent an update from the tour:
Posted by Jon Gruden
BAGHDAD -- The second day of our trip to Iraq was just as amazing as the first. You can read about what our troops are doing over here or you can watch reports on television, but none of that can compare to being here with them. It's inspiring.
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| Gruden |
After a briefing from Gen. Ray Odierno, a big Giants fan, we took a quick trip on Black Hawk helicopters to the airfield and then we flew to Mosul, north of Baghdad.
We had a two-hour meet and greet there with hundreds of different servicemen and women. It's truly an honor to visit with them and talk some football and also to talk to the troops about their responsibilities over here. I learn something from each encounter with all of these great people we have serving over here.
Then we flew south to Kirkuk, where we visited Forward Operating Base Warrior. We met the base football team during the meet and greet there, which lasted about two hours as well. Then we had lunch with some troops who had been cited for serving with great distinction, though, to me they all seem to be doing that. Then we flew back to Baghdad.
Once back in Baghdad, we attended a reception at Al Faw palace, which once belonged to Saddam Hussein, for more time with the troops. We met a large contingent from the Pennsylvania National Guard; of course, they gave Bill Cowher a huge ovation. You would not believe the number of "Terrible Towels" that are over here.
We are staying at the JVB Hotel, which is another one of Hussein's former palaces. JVB stands for "Joint Visitors Bureau." This place would blow your mind. Marble everywhere. Huge chandeliers. There is a range where we can go to hit some golf balls on the property and other nice stuff. Jeff Fisher and I are going off now to see if we can catch some carp or catfish from the well-stocked, man-made pond that is nearby.
Saturday will be special day as we will attend a naturalization ceremony in which more than 200 service members will become U.S. citizens. It will be held at Al Faw palace -- which is headquarters for the multinational forces.
After seeing how hard our troops work over here, I can't imagine a better place to be on the Fourth of July.
Jon Gruden, former Raiders and Buccaneers coach and current "Monday Night Football" analyst, is joined by Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh on the inaugural NFL-USO Coaches Tour. The group is traveling to meet and greet service members for several days in the Persian Gulf region. Gruden sent an update from the tour:
Posted by ESPN's Jon Gruden
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| Gruden |
BAGHDAD -- I think the jetlag is finally setting in.
It's very hot, the temperature is in the 100s and dust is flying everywhere.
We got in Wednesday at about 1 a.m. local time and were immediately debriefed on the day's schedule. I've never been to this part of the world, and it's not easy to get here. I had to fly from Tampa, to Dulles, and it's 13-14 hours from Dulles to Kuwait. From Kuwait, I took a two-hour flight to Baghdad.
We checked into our rooms and after a long day of travel, we tried to get some sleep because we had a long day ahead of us. This morning we were briefed by Gen. Ray Odierno. It was unbelievable. He briefed us on what's going on in various nearby areas. We traveled with him to Masol and met several hundred service men. All branches of military were represented, and it was awesome. We signed autographs, took pictures, told stories and had a lot of fun. We took a flight to the FOB Warrior to Kirkuk and were presented with football jerseys by men in these camps. We met several hundred soldiers and had lunch after that. Thirty-three hand-picked Marines, soldiers and service members were asked to join us at lunch in the cafeteria. We mingled for a while and then Giants head coach Tom Coughlin gave a great speech to the troops.
We later went to a beautiful palace in Kirkuk called Alfau Palace, where Gen. Odierno lives and works. While there, we participated in a roundtable discussion with the fans. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher tried to turn some of Iraq into Steeler Nation and some of the other coaches didn't quite agree. He was even carrying around his "Terrible Towel." Overall, the event was great. A band played while we mingled with the troops. We signed everything -- footballs, towels and T-shirts, even Iraqi money. It was a beautiful setting with so much enthusiasm. So much time, effort and sacrifice has been made by these people and just to come over here and brighten their day was an awesome feeling. We were with the Army and Air Force for the majority of time today.
The hotel where we are staying is one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces. The fact we are staying in one is kind of cool, because there are some special guests here. All five of us are in the same room on double bunk beds, so there's only one coach on this trip who has to sleep on the top bunk bed and that would be me. I'm on the top bunk bed. These other guys are too big and older than me so we let Coach Cowher sleep below me. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is on his own bed. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is a big guy, so he took the lower bunk and Coughlin got a bed that would impress anybody. He's getting treated like a king -- he got a double bed. Little Jonny, the guy without the job, is stuck upstairs with no chance. We share everything in the room, even the shower. We're having so much fun. It's like we're in camp.
It's amazing what you see here. The organization and the attention to detail is amazing. The camaraderie is excellent. The pride will bring tears to your eyes. I'm really proud of these people, these warriors, these people at war here. They want to be great at what they do. They love it, and you can see it in their eyes. It's been so impressive to me. I just tip my hat to them. Coach Cowher and I kept taking off our Super Bowl rings and letting the soldiers wear them. They loved it.
They are so excited for the NFL season to start. It was very exciting and somewhat exhausting for all of us. We ran into some big fans out there. We saw Buccaneer and Oakland Raiders tattoos, Steelers Nation was well represented, and there was a pocket of Giants fans, I don't understand that, but they were here. There's just a collection of people who are really interested in football.
