Coach Shannon to visit the Middle East

May 20, 2008

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE (Illinois) — Five of America’s top college football coaches have assembled at Scott Air Force Base to participate in an Armed Forces Entertainment and Morale Entertainment sponsored goodwill tour to visit and thank United States military personnel and coalition forces in the Middle East May 20-26.

The coaches – Mark Richt, University of Georgia; Tommy Tuberville, Auburn University; Charlie Weis,University of Notre Dame; Randy Shannon, University of Miami (FL); and Yale’s Jack Siedlecki – will meet and greet military personnel at various bases and aboard a US Navy ship in the Persian Gulf. They will also coach flag football teams made up of servicemen and women and host symposia including question and answer sessions.

The group will depart from Scott AFB aboard a KC135 tanker aircraft crewed by nine Air Force personnel.

Colonel Al Hunt, 375th Airlift Wing commander, has organized a full day of on-base activities for coaches and base personnel prior to takeoff. The coaches will see first-hand the extraordinary work done by the Air Force in global airlift operations, refueling capabilities, aeromedical evacuation and numerous other missions.

An opportunity to meet the coaches, take photographs and get autographs is scheduled at the Scott Club for base personnel Tuesday afternoon prior to departure to the Middle East that includes a refueling stop at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Ramstein, Germany.

Colonel Edward Shock, Air Force, Chief of Armed Forces Entertainment, who is accompanying the coaches on this tour emphasized that this is an exciting tour for both the coaches and the men and women in uniform stationed in Southwest Asia. “We realized that there are competing requirements for the coaches time and are honored that they chose to travel with us to visit our troops and say thank you for their service. This is an opportunity the coaches and service members will never forget.”