‘The Rocket’ lands at Offutt

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Vanessa Gray
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) --  The all-time strikeout leader in American League history, Roger Clemens, visited here April 26 as part of a United Service Organizations tour.

Mr. Clemens, known in baseball circles as “The Rocket,” also participated in a USO tour to Qatar, Kuwait, Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea about a year-and-a-half ago. He said it was the single most moving experience in his private and professional life, topping winning six Cy Young Awards and two World Series.

"I play a sport at the highest level," he said. "What is amazing to me is the great teamwork you find in the military."

Whether it is on a secure military installation or in a ballpark, Mr. Clemens said he feels safe because of people in uniform.

The experience here, he said, opened his eyes to how each person plays a role in the overall mission, similarly to a chain, which is made up of multiple single links.

"Each person works together to be one," Mr. Clemens said.

During his visit, Mr. Clemens had the chance to try out a flight simulator.

Mr. Clemens said he is an electronics-type person, so the flight simulator was very engaging. He took the controls of the simulator after his agent, Alan Hendrix, “crashed” in a corn field and then a pond. Mr. Clemens took the controls and landed safely on the runway.

In the past 20 years, Mr. Clemens has been a Major League pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and currently the Houston Astros.

For Master Sgt. Richard Petit, 55th Mission Support Squadron relocations superintendent and a dedicated Yankees fan, being able to meet the pitching icon made his day, he said.

"For him to take time on his day off says volumes about his character," Sergeant Petit said. "There are a lot of superstars today that wouldn't even take the time, even if we came to them, not to mention flying in and flying (here) on an off day."