NFL cheerleaders visit Fort Bliss

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Luke Elliott

Sgt. Daniel Clark, a reservist from the 146th Transportation Company, Odgen, Utah, who recently
returned from Iraq, amazed Brianna Nelson, left, and Acacia Mekosch, both cheerleaders for the
Minnesota Vikings, by doing the splits at an appreciation barbecue Friday outside Bldg. 2444 here.

NFL cheerleaders visit Fort Bliss

Luke Elliott
Monitor Stafft

Their job is to cheer their teams to victory throughout the NFL season. However, Friday, they came to Fort Bliss to cheer on another team, the U.S. military.

Four cheerleaders from the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills spent the day signing autographs, providing cheerleading instruction to Fort Bliss youth and eating lunch and dinner with heroes attached to the 647th Area Support Group who are either training to go to war or have recently returned.

The cheerleaders, Lori McGowan and Korinne Fort, Buffalo Bills, and Acacia Mekosch and Brianna Nelson, Minnesota Vikings, were invited by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service to help say thank you to the Soldiers and their families here.

“We (AAFES) arrange these types of events for the morale of the Soldiers,” said Apryle Schmidt, a supervisor with the Fort Lewis, Wash., AAFES store. “There are so many people out there who support Soldiers. That’s why the cheerleaders come.”

Schmidt also stressed the cheerleaders do this on their free time.

“They don’t get paid to do this,” said Schmidt. “They do it for free.”

“It’s great to be able to learn about what the servicemembers go through, especially with the war going on,” said McGowan.

“We’re here for the troops,” she added. “We know it can be tough … and this is a great opportunity to meet the troops who are serving, as well as their families.”

Fort agreed with McGowan that times are tough on servicemembers. “We really commend them for their bravery.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph G. Considine, 647th ASG, worked with AAFES to have the cheerleaders visit with the servicemembers training here. About 450 Army and Air Force personnel met with the cheerleaders at the lunchtime barbecue outside Bldg. 2444 and about 2,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors attended the evening dinner with the cheerleaders at McGregor Range.

“It’s a good event right before the Fourth of July,” said Considine. “We’re very appreciative to these ladies for sacrificing their time to spend it with servicemembers. It helps show we have support from our nation.”

Air Force Airman 1st Class Shaun M. Mueller, 1st Security Forces Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va., said that the barbecue and the cheerleaders’ visit was good for morale as he prepares to deploy overseas.

“It’s nice to relax a little bit with a nice lunch instead of eating an MRE (Meals Ready to Eat),” said Mueller.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Patrick Sheehan, 100th Security Forces Squadron, stationed at RAF Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force Base in England, said he also appreciated the visit.

“It’s good stuff for the troops getting ready to go to Iraq,” said Sheehan. “You got to like it when civilians come out supporting the troops. It’s good to know people in the states still care.”

One Soldier, Sgt. Daniel Clark, a reservist from the 146th Transpor-tation Company, Odgen, Utah, who recently returned from Iraq, amazed the cheerleaders by doing the splits for them at the barbecue.

“I’ve been in Tae Kwon Do, football and wrestling – and even ballet,” said Clark.

He said he had to be flexible for these activities, and he just kept up with stretching.

“It’s nice to see people care,” said Clark, referring to their visit. “This is the first uplifting thing since I’ve been back from Iraq.”

At Fort Lewis, these events are held regularly. In the future, Fort Bliss AAFES is planning to do a lot more events like this, where celebrities will be invited to spend time with servicemembers.

“It’s our (AAFES) way of saying to the Soldier, ‘We support you,’” said Schmidt.

The cheerleaders left Friday night after the dinner and attended another appreciation event Saturday at Holloman Air Force, N.M.


From The Monitor
Fort Bliss, Texas

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It's great that people still take the time to visit and entertain our troops. I still remember the USO tours in Germany. They featured "no-name" performers but we didn't care, they took the time to be there for us.