{"id":326217,"date":"2011-03-21T09:06:30","date_gmt":"2011-03-21T09:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/03\/21\/golden-perspectives-de-la-hoya-on-troop-visit-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-03-21T09:06:30","modified_gmt":"2011-03-21T09:06:30","slug":"golden-perspectives-de-la-hoya-on-troop-visit-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/03\/21\/golden-perspectives-de-la-hoya-on-troop-visit-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden perspectives: De La Hoya on troop visit (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK (AP)\u2014It\u2019s hardly rare that celebrities and athletes visit troops
\noverseas.<\/p>\n

Bob Hope became synonymous with USO tours some 60 years ago, and Bing Crosby
\ntoured bases in Europe during World War II. Marilyn Monroe visited Korea during
\nthe 1950s, NFL players went to Vietnam in the \u201960s, and Project Salute took
\ndozens of entertainers to the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n

Less common is an athlete or celebrity volunteering to visit the most
\ndangerous bases on the front line, then being so moved by the experience it
\nbecomes an annual trip.<\/p>\n

Oscar De La Hoya recently returned to the United States from a weeklong stay
\nwith troops in the Middle East, visiting several places he couldn\u2019t even discuss
\nbecause of security concerns.<\/p>\n

He took along with him several young fighters from his Golden Boy Promotions
\nstable, and together they learned what real fighting is all about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that I\u2019ve wanted to do for the longest time,\u201d said De La
\nHoya, who won Olympic gold for the U.S. before becoming an icon in professional
\nboxing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was long overdue, and I\u2019m sure glad I did it,\u201d he said during an
\ninterview with The Associated Press. \u201cIt really was an unforgettable
\nexperience, to really witness and feel, even for a week, what these soldiers are
\ngoing through. It really impacted me in such a way where, my gosh, I have even
\nmore respect for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

On four separate occasions, sirens went off and De La Hoya said he had to
\ntake cover from incoming artillery\u2014twice for mortars, twice for missiles.<\/p>\n

On another occasion, he remembered walking through camp and seeing a girl\u2014
\nhe swore she could have been 13 years old, but she was actually 20 or 21\u2014who
\nwas carrying an assault rifle that De La Hoya said seemed bigger than her. \u201cI
\nwas so impacted by that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

De La Hoya approached the USO about visiting the troops a while back. He was
\ngiven options of where he wanted to go, and wound up choosing some of the most
\ndangerous bases available, including destinations in Kuwait and Iraq.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go to these camps where soldiers are not exposed to outside
\nlife, outside their camp, where people don\u2019t normally visit the troops,\u201d De La
\nHoya said. \u201cWhen we got to one of the camps in Basra, these people were so
\nappreciative of us being there. All I can do is just praise them and tell them
\nhow much we respect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

De La Hoya signed plenty of autographs and posed for countless pictures, but
\nmostly he shook hands with thousands of troops and offered them his support.<\/p>\n

He was joined on the trip by Adrien Broner, an unbeaten lightweight
\ncontender, rising prospect Danny Jacobs, and Seth Mitchell, a former Michigan
\nState linebacker who has not lost in 22 professional fights since beginning his
\nheavyweight boxing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing but respect for our men and women in uniform and I thank
\nthe USO for giving me the opportunity to go out and show them my appreciation,\u201d
\nMitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to admit, compared to what I have learned our troops go through
\nevery day, I think my kind of toughness is different from theirs,\u201d added
\nBroner, who is known for his flamboyance inside the ring. \u201cI don\u2019t think I know
\nanyone as tough as they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than anything else, De La Hoya said the little things left an
\nimpression.<\/p>\n

The water wasn\u2019t portable, so there were piles of water bottles all over the
\nplace. When he turned on the shower, the water that came out was dirt yellow.
\nAnd when he finally got out of the shower, he realized that there were no towels
\nto dry off.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s been years since Saddam Hussein was toppled. Things are
\nbetter than when the first troops headed to the Middle East. But that\u2019s part of
\nthe reason De La Hoya wanted to visit now. As conflicts break out in Libya and
\nelsewhere, and a large percentage of troops withdraw from Iraq, he wanted to
\nremind people that soldiers are still over there.<\/p>\n

It left such an impression that he wants to visit again next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously with me, having this
\nidea of going down there, and when I said let\u2019s take three of our young
\nprospects and live the experience also along with me, we got there and they
\ndidn\u2019t know what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of grew up overnight being there,\u201d De La Hoya said. \u201cOur
\nperspective on life changed for everyone in a certain way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

View article:
\nGolden perspectives: De La Hoya on troop visit (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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