Photo By Sgt. Billie Thompson | George Brett, Bret Saberhagen, Reggie Sanders, and Mike Sweeney, former Kansas City...... read more read more
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CAMP BUERHING, Kuwait -- In the early-morning hours on a Wednesday, U.S. Army Soldiers began to trickle into a USO building on Camp Buehring, Kuwait, to spend some time escaping the repetition of their deployment by enjoying America’s favorite pastime with four Kansas City Royals legends and broadcast personality Joel Goldberg.
George Brett, Bret Saberhagen, Reggie Sanders, Mike Sweeney, and Joel Goldberg joined Soldiers of the 35th Combat Aviation Brigade for a live broadcast of the Kansas City Royals “This One’s for You” game, while nearly 600 family members and friends attended the Sept. 11, 2018, game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Royals legends arrived on Camp Buehring the afternoon before the game to begin their five-day USO tour and spend some time with the Soldiers. Starting at the dining facility, it did not take long before they were met with life-long fans.
Kansas Army National Guard 1st. Lt. Kayla Fletcher, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot assigned to B. Company, 1-108th Assault Helicopter Battalion, based out of Topeka, Kansas, lives in Kansas City and said she’s been a Royals fan for as long as she could remember.
During the heat of the day, Soldiers awaited the arrival of the legends in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hangar. Once the players appeared, the guests were greeted by fans and the aircraft crew members, including Fletcher, who had a unique opportunity to show the players the helicopter. Throughout the visit, the players climbed in and out of the Black Hawk. As they maneuvered through the different helicopter seats, Fletcher and her team talked about the capabilities and body style of a Black Hawk.
The players continued to a different hangar assigned to the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, based out of Springfield, Missouri. There, they were able to see a Black Hawk pulled apart to receive maintenance. They visited with Soldiers assigned to the 935th ASB shortly before moving on to their next location. Prior to leaving the hanger, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mervin Brott, deputy commander, 35th Combat Aviation Brigade, and Missouri Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bob Murrell, command chief warrant officer, 35th Combat Aviation Brigade, provided each of the Royals legends a unit coin as a gift of gratitude for their visit.
Greeted by Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 35th CAB, from Sedalia, Missouri, at the EST 2000, an indoor weapons training range, and with some assistance by Soldiers assigned to another unit from Kansas, the players fired multiple range simulations with several different laser-mounted machine guns.
Among those Soldiers was Missouri Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Chuck Wilson, the facility maintenance officer assigned to HHC. Wilson grew up in Belton, Missouri, a town about 30 minutes south of Kansas City. He said he’s been a fan since his birth in 1985, which happened to be the year the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
“I grew up with a baseball in my hand pretty much,” said Wilson. “That was something that my dad and I just always did. We played catch and he would take me to the batting cages. Basically, I grew up knowing who these four guys were; knowing who George Brett was.”
Wilson said some of his favorite memories growing up involved his father taking him to Royals games and bringing him home autographed baseball hats. Wilson’s father passed away when he was 17 years old. With a glisten of tear in his eye, Wilson said seeing these baseball players brought back many memories of him and his father.
After the tour, the players went back to their hotels to rest up before the game, which aired live at 3 a.m. in Camp Buehring. Upon their return, they were hailed by more than 200 U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to various units on the camp.
Royals Live host, Joel Goldberg, interviewed Soldiers of the 35th CAB throughout the night beginning while the pre-game show aired at approximately 2 a.m. in Kuwait, or 6 p.m. CST. Keeping things light-hearted and witty, the Soldiers enjoyed the morning laughing and joking with the players as they watched the game from more than 7,000 miles away.
Wilson equated meeting the Royals legends to meeting Stan Lee or Superman. However, the players themselves emphasized their appreciation of the troops’ sacrifices. Sweeney took time during an unaired moment to announce how much he and the other players appreciated being there and to be given the great opportunity to personally connect with the Soldiers here.
Sweeney presented Brott and Murrell with special Royals jerseys about halfway through the game. Reggie Sanders asked the Soldiers to sign their autographs on his jersey. Throughout the busy day and all through the night, the guys never hesitated to take a selfie or sign an autograph.
“It really made me feel like I was that six-year-old kid sitting in the ballpark,” said Wilson after seeing Mike Sweeney for the first time. “It just brought back a lot of memories.”
For many, the feeling of meeting these baseball legends was surreal.
“I think it’s a once in a lifetime experience,” said Fletcher. “You always hear about celebrities, or whoever, coming out to the Middle East to see the troops and everything, but to actually have a team that you’ve been so fond of, for so many years, come out and get to see them is very unique and exciting.”
Leadership within the 35th CAB began the initial planning of the event in January with the KC Royals management team and Fox Sports Midwest. The USO coordinated the tour with the former Royals players, making it possible for the Soldiers to meet their childhood stars. Over 200 Soldiers viewed the game from Camp Buehring, nearly 600 friends and family members watched from the stands of Kauffman Stadium, and countless watched from the broadcast on TV. This event, organized to bring Soldiers and their family members together, will be one the Soldiers will remember for the rest of their lives and will leave a lasting impact on the KC Royals legends.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2018 01:54 |
| Story ID: | 293970 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, KS, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MO, US |
| Hometown: | SEDALIA, MO, US |
| Hometown: | SPRINGFIELD, MO, US |
| Hometown: | TOPEKA, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 265 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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