Breaking The Walls Down - On A Positive Note Submitted by Chris Dailey on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at 4:14 PM EST
Breaking The Walls Down
Hello all and welcome to another edition of Breaking The Walls Down. I’m pressed for time this week due to the holidays and work, so I’m going to skip Bits and Pieces this week and move straight onto the column.
On A Positive Note
War. It’s not the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of professional wrestling, but it undoubtedly is mentioned at some point. “Have you seen the war brewing between Cena and Angle?” or something along those lines is usually talked about when referring to a storyline that is building between two wrestlers. Or, “the war inside the ring tonight” is usually another trendy catchphrase that holds another kind of meaning. But, when I think of war, I think of the more violent, ruthless kind. I think of tanks, planes, missiles, submarines, and, most important of all, troops and the loss of human life.
Wars, for whatever reason, are something that are a constant reminder that no matter how far we, as human beings evolve, still have our most guttural and instinctual presence about us. That instinct, fight to win at all costs. I’m not going to argue my opinions on war. Those shall remain my own, but what I am going to discuss is the generosity bestowed by WWE, and in particular Vince McMahon, the wrestlers, and various WWE employees who went overseas and spent time with the troops in Afghanistan. These troops are often forgotten about because the media focus has shifted to Iraq. However, the fight continues in Afghanistan, regardless if FOX News or MSNBC News is there or not.
It’s a whole other world over there. A friend of mine returned from his tour in Iraq over a year ago and he said it’s like night and day over there compared to here. You never know how your enemy is and who isn’t. He did tell me that they are making a difference over there and that people are very happy they are there, but the media isn’t portraying that. A positive difference is being made in Iraq and it’s also being made in Afghanistan. But, the news is so centrally focused on Iraq, it’s easy for one to forget our troops are still fighting battles in Afghanistan. Focused on the circus of a trial for a murderer in one country has left us push to the back of our minds the search for the one responsible for the murder of too many people in NYC, Washington, and Pennsylvania, let alone the world. But, in a display of “We forget you not” by The WWE, we are reminded exactly how much our troops are still involved in Afghanistan, four years later.
I say, “Bravo” to The WWE and for the showing it put on in Afghanistan. The WWE has not had a good showing this year. I know, I know, that’s like saying the sky is blue. But, the product has not been that great, house show numbers are sub par, storylines are mediocre at best, and one of the rosters is severely depleted of talent. Yet, in one television show all of that was forgotten about. All thoughts of storylines went out the window as I saw an injured troop member laying on a gurney and Triple H standing over him talking to him. All thoughts of a depleted roster left my head when I saw HBK making a young female soldiers day because she didn’t think they’d bother visiting her bunker. And, all thoughts of an, at best, mediocre product quickly disappeared when I saw the make shift tribute for troops who died defending their camp. For once, on a Monday night, professional wrestling was put on the back burner.
It’s not easy, or cheap, for a company to stage a taped event, let alone in another country. The WWE, for the benefit of the troops, went overseas and put on a show for them all to enjoy. It was cold and the troops were dressed for the time of year, but the wrestlers were in their normal wrestling attire and didn’t seem to mind the rather cold environment. Egos and money were pushed aside for the benefit of those who put their life on the lines every day to ensure our freedom and that does deserve positive praise. The costs to ship all those wrestlers overseas, the equipment, feeding of the wrestlers, and maintenance of the equipment is undoubtedly a high expense. However, The WWE, Vince McMahon, did it for the benefit of those who would die to ensure we had our freedom.
As I lay on my bed with my wife asleep on my chest, I began to think as I watched RAW. I knew the event was taped and I thought to myself, “How many of those in the audience have passed away since the taping of that show?” I’ve often been accused of thinking negatively; however, I think that line of thought has a definite relevance to all of this. If one sits back and truly thinks about that, it gives one a grim sense of reality that many do not like to think of, but it must be thought in that terms. All too often it is easy for us to forget or not think about those who are overseas fighting to ensure our continued safety. But, when looking into that crowd of brave men and women, I saw signs to loved ones and pictures of loved ones and all I could think about is how many of those troops are still alive today or how many of those troops will ever come home.
To me this past Monday night felt as odd and out of place as a tribute show to a wrestler who has passed away (it’s sad that we should know how that feels). Reality became a part of professional wrestling for one night and it should have made us all think a little bit and a lot more thankful for the freedom we so enjoy. For one night wrestling wasn’t about storylines or even in-ring action. It was about giving back to the men and women who risk their lives day in and day out. I can type that over and over again and it won’t get old. I know that those men and women are braver than I. I chickened out from signing up for the army under the guise of going to college. When, in reality, at age 17 I was too scared to pick up a gun and kill another person in the name of defending my country. I’m sure that makes me a coward in all of your eyes and I’m sure it made me a coward in my father’s eyes and his father’s eyes who both were in the army defending our country (my grandfather specifically fought in World War II). I simply couldn’t do it.
I’m sure some of you will view this column as non-wrestling related and take your jabs at me for it, but I welcome it. It doesn’t bother me. That’s the kind of freedom those troops are fighting for. I won’t soon forget seeing Mick Foley stooped over a soldier who was laying in a gurney, injured. And, I won’t soon forget seeing the joy on the troops faces as Ric Flair came walking into their camp to say hello. Think of the joy it brought that one soldier to do the “Flair Walk” and give the signature “Woooo” in front of The Nature Boy himself. That’s something, for a wrestling fan, that will surely have him smiling for years to come.
Moral is a concern amongst our troops today. Studies are constantly being done to see why a soldier committed suicide or went AWOL. The pressure of constantly being in a battle zone or unsafe area can be enough to make anyone crack. It’s not something that should be ignored or scoffed at. It’s a serious problem that occurs when a human being is exposed to extremely harsh conditions over a long period of time. But, the one thing the army does try and do is raise moral by guest visits. Bob Hope is a perennial favorite for visiting troops. He was big with The USO and for raising moral. I’m not going to compare Bob Hope to The WWE, but no matter what anyone says, what The WWE is doing is no less important than what Bob Hope has done. As long as The WWE lifted one soldier’s moral, they accomplished their mission.
However, for a few days, The WWE spread joy to numerous troops who won’t be home for the holidays this season. They weren’t home for the turkey at Thanksgiving, they won’t be home for Christmas to see their spouse and children opening gifts, and they won’t be home to welcome in the New Year. Instead of turkey, they’ll mostly have MREs (meal ready to eat – military rations). Instead of gifts under the Christmas tree, they’ll have nothing. Instead of holding a horn and wearing a goofy hat to welcome in the New Year, they’ll have a M-16 in their hand and they’ll be wearing a helmet. Freedom comes at a cost, remember that while you’re chowing down on food over the holidays. Somewhere, someplace, there’s a firefight going on to ensure our freedom.
