Former professional athletes visit Airmen in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mark Munsey
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Airmen from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location received a special visit June 12 and 13, courtesy of the United Services Organization.

And they went big, very big, with the celebrity guest list.

National Basketball Association player and current hoops talking head, Charles Barkley, was one of two former professional athletes to visit.

For the thousands of Airmen and joint and coalition forces who were thrilled by the appearance, there were still some folks to feel sorry for.

There was Roy Green, who accompanied Mr. Barkley on the tour. Mr. Green, a 14-year National Football League wide receiver had to feel a bit like Angelina Jolie’s stunt double. So very close, but not the star everyone had come to see. As fast as he was on the field, there was no way to keep up with the hyper-speed flow of humor that poured from Mr. Barkley’s mouth.

Then there was the group of 25 lottery-lucky base members who were handpicked to meet the celebrity athletes at the dining facility for dinner and a chat. They fell victim to the unpredictable time table of “Hurricane Charles.”

Visiting an in-theater Army base before his arrival, the combination of pick-up basketball games and pick-out Army grunts for one-liners delayed the former NBA’s most valuable player’s arrival for dinner.

Already a half hour late upon entrance, the start time did not seem anywhere closer in sight when Mr. Barkley and a buffet tray aligned forces.

“Man, he is huge,” said Staff Sgt. DeQurlous Derrick, 379th Services Squadron dining facility Airman who assembled Mr. Barkley’s plate. “I was worried we might not have food left for anyone else after he came through.”

Finally seated with the guests but before he could even grab the salt, Mr. Barkley was peppered with questions that were part current-player assessment, part “Chuck Roast.”

“Everyone wanted to know who he thought was currently the best at their position,” said Master Sgt. Douglas Guyton. Seeing his rather robust appearance now, one gutsy diner asked Mr. Barkley if he still plays competitive ball.

“No,” Mr. Barkley snapped with a big laugh. “I’d kill myself out there.”

After the meal, as everyone traveled to the autograph session, Mr. Green had time to create a military rank while accusing Mr. Barkley of thievery.

“Right now, if I punched Buck Private Barkley’s pockets, he’d pour out two pounds of cookie crumbs,” the two-time NFL pro-bowl receiver said.

The autograph session was supposed to last two hours, ending the athletes’ elongated day at 10 p.m. For reasons he made clear later, Mr. Barkley did not hesitate to go into overtime, finishing more than an hour later.

“We wanted to get ‘em all through,” he said. “I couldn’t believe how enthusiastic the troops were here. (Despite the hardships) everybody is in a good mood. It made me glad and excited I made the trip.”

As part of the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team,” he said he instantly recognized the characteristics all winning clubs have.

“Like any really good team, the cool thing here is the great camaraderie,” he said. “Everyone took turns taking pics holding each others camera.”

While making memories for the more than 6,000 joint and coalition forces here, Mr. Barkley said there was also a moment that will live with him forever.

“One of the troops said his mom had brought him to meet me as a boy 20 years ago when I was with the (Philadelphia 76ers),” Mr. Barkley said. “He told me his mom passed last week, and he thought that was the reason I was here right now.”

The following day, the athletes made their way to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group to visit with patients.

Heading out to another U.S. military theater installation for another round of autographs and wide-eyed stares from dining facility staff members, he summed up the visit as only Mr. Barkley can.

“I’m not blowing smoke,” he said. “This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.”