Coaches' Tour 2008 kicks off at Scott

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Karoline Scott
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Joint Total Force Scott welcomed five National Collegiate Athletic Association head football coaches May 20 to tour the base and meet with hundreds of servicemembers, DoD civilians and their families. 

The visiting coaches included Mark Richt of the University of Georgia, Randy Shannon of the University of Miami, Jack Siedlecki of Yale University, Tommy Tuberville of Auburn University and Charlie Weis of the University of Notre Dame. 

The coaches' visit here kicked off a six-day tour of military bases in the Middle East with Armed Forces Entertainment called 'Coaches' Tour 2008'. 

While at Scott, the coaches enjoyed breakfast at the Nightingale Inn Dining Facility where they met with servicemembers who recently returned from deployments. They also visited the 375th Medical Group's Aeromedical Staging Facility, went through a mobility processing line and practiced their firearm skills on a simulator at the base's combat arms training and maintenance facility. The base populous also interacted with the coaches during a two-hour meet and greet at the Scott Club. 

Col. Al Hunt, 375th Airlift Wing Commander and Notre Dame Alum, hosted the coaches during their time here. 

"We are honored to welcome all of these great coaches who have taken time out of their busy schedules to be with us today," said Colonel Hunt. "We cannot thank you enough for your patriotism and support of the men and women in America's armed forces. We are proud to show you not only our base, but to introduce you to the talented and hard-working members of Joint Total Force Scott." 

During the meet and greet, all five coaches shook hands and took pictures with fans and signed everything from footballs to t-shirts and photographs.
Mr. Richt addressed the crowd saying, "Knowing how wonderful this country is, I can't help but be grateful to everyone here. We're here to tell the [servicemembers] that we love and appreciate them." 

Following their whirlwind visit to Scott, the coaches boarded a KC-135 refueler from McConnell AFB, Kan., and headed to Ramstein AFB, Germany, for the first leg of their overseas tour. From there, the coaches flew to military bases throughout Southwest Asia. While in the area of responsibility, they met with members of the military and coached flag football teams made up of servicemen and women. 

Reflecting on his reason for participating in the tour, Mr. Weis said, "When we talked about putting this group together a few months ago, I said to myself 'how could I not go?' In this small way, we can give back [to the servicemembers]. Don't thank us for being here," he said, "We should be thanking all of you for what you've done for this country."
'Coaches' Tour 2008' came to a close Monday when the NCAA coaches left the AOR and headed back to the states. For more information on 'Coaches' Tour 2008', visit www.coachestour08.com.