WWE Tribute to the Troops

I got back from my trip to Forward Operating Base Poliwoda (Ballad) a couple days ago. During the flight to and back from Ballad the one thing you notice is that Iraq isn't as much of a desert as most people think. Sure, there's lots of sand but as we flew over there are green fields, groves of fruit trees, crops and waterways that stretch from one end of the horizon to the other.

On the 3rd the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment got a visit from the stars of World Wrestling Entertainment during their 2009 Tribute to the Troops Tour. John Cena, Vince McMahon, R-Truth, Ray Mysterio and the Bella Twins were all there.

What really made my day was getting to interview John Cena, professional wrestler, actor and entertainer. These guys aren't all muscle and no brain either. John Cena gave a great interview. He comes off as quite intelligent and genuinely caring. The WWE stars were supposed to have a private lunch but they said let the Soldiers in so they ate with everyone.

The whole time they ate they were mobbed by Soldiers, Civilians, and members of the Ugandan Security Forces for photos. Throughout the whole day there's nothing superficial about them and not a single look of annoyance on their faces after being stopped for picture after picture. They smile, shake hands and some lucky Soldiers even get kissed on their cheek by the Bella Twins.

I stopped watching WWF (changed to WWE due to a trademark dispute) when I was about nine years old. One day I saw one guy do a head stomp and you could see from the camera angle it missed but the other guy's head jerked back anyway. That's when I realized it wasn't real. After that it pretty much stopped interesting me. But this group of people really made me rethink my position on the WWE. It may not be real but the people are real.

I got a nice picture with the Bella Twins hoping to make my wife jealous :P

After we got back I produced the video. You can check it out on the Dragon Brigade Facebook fan page or at the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3-_FMlYDk

~RC