Baker visits troops for Super Bowl

[panther ad man]

February 1, 2008

Brett Borden
Panthers.com

For eight days starting this weekend, Carolina Panthers punter Jason Baker will try to bring as much of America as he can with him to the troops serving in Afghanistan. Baker will be traveling with 11 other athletes and celebrities to the Middle Eastern country to watch the Super Bowl and make the rounds as much as they can.

There will be meet and greet events, autograph signings, and maybe even some things not on the agenda.

“I’ve been told we might get caught in a little Texas Hold ’em game or two, talk football with them and just shoot it with them for a while,” said Baker.

Baker didn’t know who the rest of his group would be comprised of, other than one player, but he said it would include other NFL players and NASCAR drivers.

“I was told there will be four groups of three of us,” said Baker. “I talked to (Broncos kicker) Jason Elam. He’s going. He’s a friend of mine from when we played together in Denver. I’m really looking forward to it”

Visits from athletes and celebrities mean a lot to soldiers, especially those in other parts of the world. But Baker thinks his visit will mean just as much to him, if not more.

“People keep coming up and saying, ‘Oh, this is such a great social service you’re doing,’” he said. “But the reality is that we may break the monotony of these people’s lives for a little while, but they’re more likely to have an impact on me than I am on them.

“If my visit gives them something to smile about for one afternoon, then it’s not a big deal for me to be on a plane for 40 hours or whatever it is. I’m excited about it because I have a feeling I’m going to see a part of the world and a way of life I probably can’t relate to.”

Not only that, Baker expects to see other things he’s not likely to forget soon.

“I’ve been told it’s not a tourist event,” he said. “They don’t candy coat it. They prepare you for that, especially the hospital visits. There are things in there you don’t see on CNN. Things that are going to be burned into your mind."

Baker has a friend who, as part of an Army Special Ops unit, has been to Afghanistan a couple of times. When he hears the stories of what it’s like there, he shakes his head when asked to compare it to anything here in the States.

“During an interview, someone asked me how I would compare military service to football,” said Baker. “I said I wouldn’t even try. The only similarity is the teamwork aspect. If I don’t hit a good punt, worst case scenario is we lose or I lose my job. If they mess up on their jobs, people die. There’s no way to relate the two.”

While other players take trips to exotic locales during their offseason, Baker is choosing something different. Why? Simply to gain some perspective.

“I think this is one of those opportunities that I’m sure I’ll never have again in my life,” he said. “For me, at least, I feel like I’ve fallen into a fantasy world as a professional athlete where you ignore some of the stuff that’s really going on. This will be a good thing for me, personally, to maybe open up my eyes a little bit.”

[BucNut]

That is great. Too bad they don't make things like this headline news.

[RTBP]

When I left Baghdad, I left my brother behind. He is still there and got to meet those guys the other day. If he sends me pictures, I will post them.

When I was there I got to meet Larry Izzo of the Patriots and Warrick Dunn.