Story Links
Virginia men’s head basketball coach Dave Leitao is currently on a USO Tour to the Persian Gulf Region with five other current and former basketball coaches. The tour is called “Operation Hoop Talk: Talking with the Troops” and joining Coach Leitao on the tour are Jeff Bzdelik (Colorado), Ed Conroy (The Citadel), Jim Crews (United States Military Academy), Gary Stewart (UC Davis) and Jeff Nix (former college assistant coach, and former scouting director and assistant general manager with the New York Knicks). Nix founded and is president of Camouflage Kids, a non-profit organization that provides a college athletic game-day experience focusing on the children of deployed military personnel. Coach Leitao is keeping a journal during the tour and following is the second installment of his journal.
Wednesday, June 4
Kuwait City
Our hotel in Kuwait City is located on the Persian Gulf, a major waterway in the region. The problem is you can’t see much of the gulf because the sky is so hazy. I’ve been in Los Angeles during heavy smog, but it’s got nothing on this situation. The wind whips around the sand creating very low visibility and I’m told that’s the norm.
Some pictures in the lobby of our hotel, the Radisson, got my attention. There were eight photos of the hotel just after a bombing attack during the Gulf War. Here we are talking, eating and sleeping in a place that was almost flattened.
Jeff Thornton is our tour guide. He has his own company and arranges trips like this all the time with the USO. This is his 22nd trip to the region and he loves it. He told me a story at breakfast that made me take a step back. While sitting with some officers and an Iraqi village leader he was told the leader had lost his cousin in an attack the day before. The men there, including Jeff, offered their condolences for his cousin’s death. Everyone in the room was saddened. Through an interpreter his response was, “The tree of freedom can’t grow without the blood of sacrifice.” Wow, talk about putting things in perspective.
We drove to Camp Arifjan to visit some troops and get “debriefed” by one of the officers. Lieutenant Colonel Jones spent almost an hour educating us on why a presence is needed in Kuwait and what all of it means to us. The military reasons are obvious, as troops need a stopping point either entering or exiting Iraq. But that’s only the beginning. I’m not sure I understand it all except we are very important here in holding the entire Middle East together. Understanding who your allies are and who your enemy is country to country is difficult. I found relationships here are extremely important and right now we happen to have a very good one with Kuwait. Here’s hoping we keep it that way.
While at Camp Arifjan we went to the gym where Operation Hardwood is held. It’s a basketball tournament on base for the soldiers. We saw a picture honoring the late Skip Prosser and his team. He is a hero all the way here in Kuwait. Jeff Nix is a former roommate of Skip’s and was especially touched by the picture.
Before leaving Arifjan we ate lunch at the DFAC (dining facility). Meals are the one luxury the troops do enjoy. The lunch spread was amazing and it looks like I will return a lot heavier than when I left. The theory behind this is there are so many things here that get the soldiers down, but a meal can really uplift them. Also, for a lot of them the mentally is that it may be their last meal. When they go onto the battlefield, there is no assurance they will return. How many times can you think about this being your last meal? They continue to do their job with honor and pride.
God Bless America
Dave Leitao
Head Basketball Coach
University of Virginia