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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 fourth installment of his journal.
Friday, June 6
Mosul, Iraq
The weather took its toll on our travel plans as we couldn’t leave Mosul due to an impending sand storm to the south of us. We waited for word to move which never came. Flying in a Blackhawk helicopter with low visibility is not a very smart idea. Plus the enemy strikes more often when they know it’s much harder for them to be detected. These are the “war games” going on that are part of everyday life
It’s not too bad spending another day in Mosul. The people here are wonderful, although not seeing more troops at another base is a bit of a downer.
Saturday, June 7
Balad, Iraq
Because the sand storm played tricks on our travel Friday, we ended up flying on a Sherpa plane instead of a Blackhawk helicopter. The Sherpa is very safe although we were told nothing beats flying in a Blackhawk. We missed a great opportunity.
Balad Air Base was our next stop and we had a full day planned. As always, it started with a huge breakfast and believe me each one of us is maximizing the opportunities at the chow line. I’m sure we’re testing the weight limits on our flights.
After various stops around the base we visited a hospital. This is a place where you really see the effects of war. I must say that it’s a slow time at this hospital and everyone is quite pleased with that situation.
Most of the patients are recovering from non-life threatening wounds. These soldiers, like the ones at Walter Reed and the Naval Medical Center, would quickly like to rejoin their team out in the field. There were also some Iraqi civilians who are kept separate from the soldiers. Some insurgents are there as well and if one of them is in bad shape and an American soldier has a less severe, non-life threatening injury, guess who gets priority treatment? Doctors and nurses don’t choose who they care for when people come in needing help. When saving lives, doctors here know that people are people no matter one’s personal feelings.
I must tell you of an 18-month-old Iraqi child who bit into some live electrical wiring and almost electrocuted himself. You had to see the damage to his face and body to believe it, but we were told he looked 100 percent better after multiple surgeries. His mouth had been disfigured and his arms and legs were severely burned. He is royalty at the hospital as all staff members treat him like he’s their own. It’s wonderful to see the love. You just feel for the little guy and pray that he’ll be o.k.
On the way out I lost a foul shooting contest to a hospital worker, proving even this far from home that I don’t have it anymore.
We then got to see an F16 fighter jet. Talk about a “Top Gun,” Tom Cruise has nothing on me! The pilot explained the jet inside and out as well as the delicate nature of handling this awesome machine. It’s difficult to imagine, but he has flown it over 1,400 miles per hour. It can hit a specific target within 10 yards from an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The evening ended with meeting a bunch of troops at the gym for great conversation, smiles and a basketball game. Just like when I was in Japan, there’s no shortage of competition over here. They go at each other just like they go after everything else…HARD!!! It was a close game won by the Army over the Air Force and everyone had a great time.
I even saw some familiar faces, a woman from Farmville and a former UVa employee who couldn’t wait to show off his Wahoo pride. He lives in Fluvanna and is here for a year. I also saw some fraternity brothers of mine. Talk about a small world.
Sunday, June 8
The storm is still here. A sand storm looks like very thick fog on a beach in the early morning. The obvious exception is that it’s sand and not clouds.
The storm brings out the enemy. Sunday was a busy day as mortars fired on the base at least three times. One of the attacks brought a warning call. That call, if severe enough, would require you to get into a bunker for protection. The mortars don’t usually hit anything and most here treat it as part of the day, except for six coaches from the states. Fortunately for us they weren’t close enough to require us to go anywhere.
Being grounded by the storm allowed me to talk more with the troops. I feel so blessed to be able to get their perspective on the ongoing battle both on the ground and politically. The topic of war has everyone’s attention and knowing more now than I did before I got here gives me a better platform to speak from on the subject. There is a lot more that I don’t know as it’s kept classified, but I feel like I have a picture in my mind now even if a sand storm lowers my physical visibility.
I look forward to going home tomorrow. I miss my wife, children and the simple pleasures afforded to me.
Thank you to our military, the best in the world, and to the USO for allowing us to uplift some people who put their lives on the line for us. Thank you also to Rick Kell, our organizer, who got me involved in this tour. I can scratch one thing off my midlife “bucket list.”
See you all soon.
God Bless America!
Dave Leitao
Head Basketball Coach
University of Virginia