[Vision2020] Iraq Trip Humbling Experience for UI's Coach Akey

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (July 10, 2009) Spokesman Review.

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Akey: Trip humbling experience

Football: University of Idaho’s Robb Akey (above, left), who is one of
five college football coaches on a tour of military bases in the Middle
East, relayed these thoughts back home:

•“I will say that this has been a very humbling experience and we have a
great group of young people over here putting their lives on the line
every day,” Akey said. “It is amazing to me how excited they have been to
visit with us. While we are thanking them for fighting for us, they are
thanking us for being here.”

•“Things have heated up over here in the past few days, which have been
pretty tense, to say the least. But it seems that having a piece of “back
home” over here enables them a distraction for a moment and they do light
up when they talk about home. We have some good Vandal fans over here and
I think we have gained some new ones.”

•“After another flight, we visited a hospital and that was a very humbling
experience as well. We met some there who had been injured in firefights
or by IEDs. Had a fantastic conversation with a special forces member who
had been injured in a firefight and I will tell you, he is one tough son
of a gun. He was injured while searching for an MIA. The doctors, nurses,
surgeons and support people at the hospital are another pretty special
crew. ‘Thank you’ meant a great deal to them today as well.”

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UI's Coach Akey greeting soldiers in Iraq.

http://tinyurl.com/lojo3m

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Take care, Vandals.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
UI '96

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

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