Sacramento Kings Dancer, Katie, recounts her once in a lifetime trip in support of the U.S. military stationed overseas in the Middle East.
Middle Eastern Adventure of a Lifetime
October 15, 2010 by Katie
From the Kings Karavan tour to three home preseason games and various community appearances, the Sacramento Kings Dance Team has been busy since returning from trips to the Middle East and China.
It was exciting to be back on-court dancing for Kings fans during the preseason. The high-energy at ARCO Arena is consistent year-to-year, and I can’t wait to root our Kings to victory all season long!
The six of us who traveled to Iraq and Kuwait – Jenn, Lisa, Kelly, Heather, Lauren and I – have been back from Iraq for 14 days, and now that we have a break from games we can’t wait to share stories from our adventurous trip.
SMILE: View Exclusive Photos of SKDT Members in Iraq and Kuwait.
We departed the U.S. on Sept. 21, and spent nine days traveling to five different bases performing for our troops. Our first performance was at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. Before our performance, we received a mini-tour of the base from our Morale, Welfare and Recreation leader. Our first stop was a very educational meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Mark Crumpton. He told us the history of Camp Arifjan, and explained the purpose of each U.S. military base in Kuwait. We were very thankful for his presentation and his willingness to spend time educating us. At the end of our meeting with Lt. Col. Crumpton, he presented us with a certificate of appreciation and a Challenge Coin. A Challenge Coin is a small coin, bearing an organization’s insignia and carried by the organization’s members. They are given to prove membership when challenged and to enhance morale, so we felt honored to receive it!
After leaving Lt. Col. Crumpton’s office, we took a tour of Camp Arifjan’s medical facilities. We first visited the operating recovery room, and brought along a special friend, Lance — a therapy dog from the American Red Cross. He was really cute and energetic, which made the patients smile. After visiting with several soldiers and taking photos, we checked out the dental offices and mental health facilities. It was a neat experience to see how similar the medical facilities on-base are to those we have at home.
After our wonderful tour concluded, we had free time before our show that evening. So, we checked out the stage where we would be performing and prepared for our show. We were very antsy for our first performance because it was the first time we would be dancing with The Andy Davis Band. Around 7:30 p.m. the show started, and the audience filled with excited soldiers.
Our shows lasted 90 minutes, and The Andy Davis Band and DeAnna Pappas, who gained fame from ABC’s “The Bachelor,” accompanied us. It was refreshing to perform with a live band because we generally perform to recorded music. An entertaining aspect of our shows involved bringing soldiers on-stage to participate in various skits. Seeing the soldiers laugh and smile made us feel like our mission in the Middle East was complete. Being able to get the soldiers to relax and forget about their normal daily duties was a great honor. After our first go-round, we couldn’t wait to visit more bases and continue performing!
The next day we woke up bright and early to a beautiful desert sunrise to catch our flight to Iraq. We drove to Ali Al Salem Air Base, where we anxiously awaited our C-130 plane. While flying on a C-130, it’s a requirement to wear a bullet-proof Kevlar vest, weighting approximately 10 lbs., and helmet while entering and exiting the plane. Once it arrived, we entered through the cargo door at the rear of the plane. Lisa and Lauren had the opportunity to ride in the cockpit during the flight, which is something most civilians don’t have the opportunity to do. The flight was quite an experience! We kept saying, ‘This is so cool!’ over and over, because we couldn’t believe we were actually flying on a C-130.
Our tour group arrived in Iraq at Contingency Operating Base Camp Basrah, where we had our next performance. The scenery was very similar to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait but the level of security was much greater. After being assigned to our CHUS (Containerized Housing Units), we headed to a meeting with Command Sergeant Major Jim Champagne. CSM Champagne was full of energy, and excited we were performing at COB Basrah. He briefly introduced us to Major General Brooks, who we learned was an alumnus of Jesuit High School in Sacramento. We had a casual conversation with both of them before they also presented us with a certificate and Challenge Coin. We were very excited to receive another token of appreciation from the troops!
That night we performed on a new stage for the troops at COB Basrah, and the soldiers were very enthusiastic! They put on a great show when we asked them to dance, while we watched from the audience. We were even able to get CSM Champagne on-stage in a dress and wig, which was highly entertaining and great for soldier morale!
The following day we flew on another C-130 to COB Adder in the city of Tallil, Iraq. The base was larger than the previous bases we visited, and all of the soldiers were from California. We were informed there were a lot of soldiers from Sacramento at the base, and they were excited for our appearance. We arrived at the base during the evening, so our night consisted of settling into our CHUS and resting.
The next day we took a tour around the base with our MWR leader, who was excited to show us around. Our first tour was of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters. It was a really cool experience. The Apache is a two-man helicopter, while a Black Hawk fits 11 passengers, two gunmen and two pilots. Later in our trip we knew we’d be flying in Black Hawks, so it was a very interesting tour.
Next, we were able to see and learn about the Predator, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle used by the U.S. Air Force and CIA. There are four soldiers in Iraq who care for the aircraft, launch it and land it, while soldiers in the U.S. actually fly it. It was amazing to learn how our country is able to control something so specialized and hi-tech from so far away.
Our last tour was at the border of the base, where all vehicles are screened before entering and exiting. Every day, hundreds of vehicles travel in and out hauling cargo and supplies. The solders introduced us to their bomb dogs, which were adorable. The trainers put on a demonstration of how the dogs find explosives in vehicles entering the base by planting a small amount of explosives in a truck and letting the dogs find it. We found it interesting when a dog found the explosives, it actually sat down and became quiet.
After completing our tours we prepared for the evening’s show, which was held indoors at Memorial Hall. We were excited because it meant the temperature would be cooler than the 100-plus degrees outside! Since it was our third show, we felt more comfortable, and it went really well. Toward the end of the show, Andy Davis sang “America the Beautiful.” COB Basrah was the only base where every single soldier in the crowd stood up and sang during the entire song. We all became a little teary eyed watching them, especially Lisa, whose brother has twice served in Iraq. We ended the show with a meet and greet, and then headed back to our CHUS to rest for our early flight the next day.
The following morning, we took a C-130 to COB Speicher, and as soon as we landed we hopped on two Black Hawks, or “birds” as military folks called them. It was very exciting to fly on Black Hawks for the first time! It was a really smooth ride, and between the six of us we took dozens of pictures and videos along the way. After our short ride, we landed at Forward Operating Base Dagger. FOB Dagger was a small base that only consisted of about 70 soldiers. Half of the base has been given to the Iraqi soldiers, who are now training with U.S. soldiers. The Iraqi side of the base was an old resort Saddam Hussein used to visit and vacation with his family. Now he is buried in the neighboring city. The base is on the Tigris River and had more vegetation than any other base. At the base’s request, we became the first entertainment group to visit FOB Dagger, which was a special honor.
After spending a few hours at FOB Dagger, our birds arrived and we flew to another small base, FOB McHenry. We were so excited to be flying around in Black Hawks, we had no idea what was in store. We were greeted by a soldier who gave us a quick tour before we headed to a meet and greet with the rest of the troops. We entered their dining facility (DFAC), and it was packed with soldiers anxious to see us. We signed autographs and took pictures. Heather ran into an old friend from middle school she used to carpool with. They were excited to see each other so far from home!
After thinking we were only supposed to be at FOB McHenry for a few hours, we were informed our birds could not pick us up due to sandstorms and we would have to stay the night. Our tour group would have been excited, but we left our luggage at COB Speicher and didn’t bring a change of clothes. Considering we were set to be there for a while, the soldiers decided to show us more of the base. They took us to their shooting range, where we shot M4 rifles and a 50-caliber machine gun from the inside of a Stryker vehicle. To shoot the 50-caliber gun, we took turns sitting inside the Stryker looking at a screen with the target on it, held a joystick and pressed a button. It was similar to playing a video game, which made it feel too easy. The gun made a huge sound as it fired into a test pit. While waiting outside of the Stryker, we had to wear earplugs because the gun was so loud. The soldiers then took us for rides in their MRAP vehicles, which are armored vehicles similar to huge Hummers.
Since we hadn’t planned to stay overnight at the base, the soldiers cleaned out CHUS for us to sleep in and provided us with blankets and pillows. In hopes we would be able to fly to our luggage the next morning, it was a restless night. The next day, we awoke very early and headed to the waiting room by the helicopter pad. We were told our birds would be arriving soon, but they never did.
The day went on and we continued to wait for our birds, but they kept getting delayed due to poor weather conditions in other areas of Iraq. At that point, all we really wanted was a shower and a change of clothes. By 7 p.m., we were informed we would have to stay the night again and hope to be picked up in the morning. So, we were provided with care packages the base received as donations from people in the U.S., which included clean clothes and toiletries. We finally had the opportunity to shower, and we couldn’t have been happier! We put on our new clean clothes, which weren’t exactly something we would wear back home – long khaki shorts, XL white T-shirts and men’s boxer briefs. Considering the day we’d experienced, it made for a great laugh. After settling into our beds, we heard the birds might arrive sooner than previously expected. Sure enough, they didn’t come.
A couple hours later, nearing midnight, we received a knock at our door telling us to put our flight gear on and head to the helicopter pad. After waiting all day, we thought it was too good to be true. In the distance, we heard helicopters and started to get really excited. Seemingly out of nowhere, Black Hawks appeared, and we learned how they were named. The helicopters fly in the dark without lights, and the pilots wear night vision goggles to navigate. It was an incredible experience flying in the dark, and it made for a relaxing end to our adventurous prior two days.
Unfortunately, being stuck at COB McHenry changed our tour plans, and we were unable to perform our last show. We arrived at COB Speicher early in the morning, grabbed our luggage and jumped on a C-130 to Camp Arifjan. Lisa and I were able to ride in the cockpit during the flight. We saw the sunrise over the clouds, and sat in the pilot’s seat as the plane was flying. It was an amazing experience!
We arrived at Camp Arifjan and had a few hours to kill before we needed to head to Kuwait International Airport to catch our flight back to the U.S. We took naps, went to the gym and made sure to get some souvenirs at the on-base store.
Our tour ended as our flight took off from Kuwait, but our memories will live on. The six of us are very thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to the Middle East to perform for our troops as part of the SKDT. We want to thank all U.S. troops across the world and especially those we met during our tour. We also want to thank Pro Sports MVP for giving us the opportunity and The Andy Davis Band and DeAnna Pappas for being great journey companions. Keep an eye out for an exclusive Kings.com video feature around Veteran’s Day with behind-the-scenes footage from our trip.
This weekend the Kings “Paint the Town” as part of the NBA Cares campaign. Check out the Kings Karavan schedule to see where Kings Dance Team members will be during the weekend for your chance to meet us and win cool prizes. Also, on Saturday at the Westfield Plaza Downtown from 2-4:30 p.m., the SKDT will be modeling items from the Kings Team Store. So come see what’s new, and get some fresh gear to wear to the games!
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