Head Coach Dan Quinn, CEO, AMB Group Steve Cannon, kicker Matt Bryant, guard Ben Garland and center Alex Mack represented the team as they showed their gratitude for the sacrifices that U.S. service members are making for our county at seven military bases over three days.
Army Lt. Gen. Paul Funk, who leads all U.S. forces in Iraq, sat down and briefed the team on the current situations in Iraq and Syria and shared some powerful stories of sacrifice and survival.
"We give up a little bit of our [offseason] to thank these guys and they give up years for us, they give up so much more for us. Just to come out here and say thank you and give a little morale boost where for them is a really tough time in their life that's absolutely worth it for me." - Ben Garland
"We flew in on a break-neck pace right after minicamp and we were able to see some troops in Kuwait and then come out to Iraq. We packed so much into this trip it's amazing. As soon as we landed, we had nonstop meetings with troops and thanking them for what they do." - Alex Mack
"This trip for me has certainly been a game changer from the time we arrived in Kuwait and then the chances to go see different men and women who are sacrificing a lot so we can do what we do. Each of the places we've been, each of the soldiers that we've met, all of them have been really interesting interactions." - Head Coach Dan Quinn
"The most important thing for me and the biggest takeaway is the appreciation that we're getting back from our soldiers. The fact that they are saying thank you for coming to us and I want to turn that around and say, 'no, I feel like this is our obligation to come to you to say thank you for what you're doing.' I'm just blown away by the reception, by the response and by the outreach that we've gotten from our soldiers." - CEO, AMB Group Steve Cannon
"These are special people. To see what the results are from a war, from the damage that's done and to realize these guys gave the ultimate sacrifice, putting their lives on the line. We got to see a ceremony where guys got their 30-day combat patch and to see how important that was to them and to see how important it was to their superiors just to be able to give them that patch. It puts things in perspective of how important this is to them and how important they should be to all of us." - Matt Bryant