Red, white and blue and gray
Coach Bailiff visits US troops overseas

FROM RICE ATHLETICS

Rice head football coach David Bailiff is currently on tour with four other college football coaches visiting United States military personnel in southwest Asia.

While the coaches may not disclose their location while on the tour, according to Department of Defense rules, Bailiff has been able to check in with occasional postcards. In his first message, he offered his initial thoughts of the tour: It’s hot!

“I know everyone in Texas thinks it has been hot there recently, but let me tell you that the heat here redefines the meaning of ‘hot.’ You literally feel the heat pulling the moisture out of your body. But even with the conditions, the thing that just overwhelms you from the start is the quality of the men and women we’ve met. These are highly motivated individuals who do an incredible job. It makes you proud to be around them and to see the way they approach their jobs. I’ll do my best to send you some kind of update when I can, but they are keeping us pretty busy.”

His second postcard arrived Wednesday:

“Everything is going great. The men and women we meet each day are really excited to see us and at every stop, I am so impressed by their attitude and the chemistry they have as a unit. The job they are doing is absolutely incredible. I obviously can’t tell you where I am right now, or where we are headed next, but we are working hard trying to see as many of these men and women that we can. We’re getting a 3:30 a.m. wakeup and are back on the go by 4 a.m. each day. I am humbled at each stop by the quality of the people who are here, and it makes me proud to be an American. Everyone should know they are doing a great job and have a great attitude about their mission. That’s it for now, I need to grab some sleep before that next wakeup call comes.”

On Thursday a third postcard arrived:

“We were back up at 3:30 a.m. and moved up to some higher elevations, and it’s not as hot as it had been. I met a sergeant from Katy and we talked a little Rice football. One thing I have found out very quickly is that you don’t need to find someone from Houston to talk about Rice. Whenever I am introduced to troops, it’s great to hear how much they already knew about Jarett Dillard, Chase Clement and James Casey and last season. And they know their Rice baseball for sure. It’s a great feeling when you can have those kinds of conversations. I can’t tell you enough about how humbling it is to be surrounded by so many dedicated young men and women who love their jobs and are dedicated to their mission. We met with some medical personnel who were so proud to show us photos of some of the newborn local babies they were treating and to see the excitement in their eyes as the told us about how much weight they had gained. Every man and woman here says the same thing over and over; they believe in what they are doing and that they are making a positive impact with their mission.”

Bailiff is joined on the trip by coaches Robb Akey, University of Idaho; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Mickey Matthews, James Madison University; and Chris Smeland, West Point, the U.S. Military Academy.

In the photo below, Bailiff greets U.S. Army Sgt. Nathanael Buschmann of Oregon, Wis., at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, July 5. “I’m a big fan of college football,” Buschmann said. “During the season, I try to watch every game — even the ones that come on at 2 a.m.”

Photo courtesy of Lakia Clarke-Brown, Area Support Group Qatar Public Affairs Office

For more photos from Bailiff’s trip, visit http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070609aab.html.