http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/straightfromthehart3



Straight From the Hart IIi
By Jimmy Hart
July 1, 2006


Hey, WWE fans. I know I said you wouldn't hear from me until Monday, but I had
to share what happened to us on Saturday with you right away. It was a great
day. It started at 6:15 a.m. I'm the first one downstairs in the restaurant to
order my Jimmy Hart Southern Boy Special, which you all know is pork n' beans
and French fries. I'm used to eating this scrumptious meal on my own, but this
morning, I'm with Henry, our photographer. Much to my surprise, Henry is here to
try the Southern Boy Special for the first time. After a few bites, he declares
it might be something he has to get used to. Twenty minutes later, we are joined
by the one and only Ron Simmons, who also, for the first time, orders the
Southern Boy Special. Ron has no trouble adjusting his palate to my dietary
delight. Then Richard and Ryan show up promptly at 7 a.m. to pick up our crew.
Having tried the special yesterday, and finding in the evening that they did not
have the stomach for it, they declined my offer to try it again.

As we proceed to the lobby to meet Maria, Ashley and Gary, I am approached by a
gentleman who asks if I would take a photo with a pretty young lady at the
check-in desk. As I go over to take the picture, I find, much to my surprise,
that the young woman is one of the American Idols from Season 4, Jessica Sierra.
She tells me that her Dad and she are giant wrestling fans, and she grew up a
big fan of Jimmy Hart and the Hart Foundation. Jessica is here to entertain the
troops in Kuwait and Iraq, and is off to a base in Kuwait this morning with her
local AFE escorts Contee and T-Mac.

Meeting Jessica reminds me of the time that Hulk and I met Simon Cowell in
England when he was an A&R man for a major record label, and well before he was
American Idol's most reviled talent judge, an act I think we can agree is
modeled after the Mouth of the South. Simon talked the Hulkster into recording a
single, a remake of the song "Leader of the Gang" by Gary Glitter. It went three
weeks in the Top 10 in Europe, peaking at No. 1. However, the Hulk's greatest
recorded accomplishments in music are his own recordings with the Wrestling Boot
Band.

We get into our two-van "convoy" and begin our journey to Camp Arifjan, the
heart of U.S. military operations in Kuwait. We spend some quality time with the
camp commander, Colonel Brick Miller, and his Commanding Master Sergeant of the
Army Ray Middleton. These guys are first class all the way. We receive a
thorough briefing on activities in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Camp Arifjan is
the hub for troops and supplies going into and out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and
can process more than 75,000 people a day at the camp. The camp is also the base
of operations for special training for the troops to deal with evolving combat
conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Colonel, like others to whom we speak, tells us of all the great civic
accomplishments of our troops in Iraq, particularly in the northern and southern
parts of the country, areas outside of the violence we hear so much about in the
media. He relays stories of young Iraqi girls attending school for the first
time, using books, pencils and paper secured by the troops with the support of
their home towns. He speaks of accomplishments of restoring infrastructure and
helping to put America in a better light through the actions of our troops in
working with the local citizens. He sees the tide turning through a younger
generation of Iraqis that will ultimately ensure Iraq maintains and builds upon
its newfound freedoms despite the threat of terrorism. We all shake our heads as
to why our news media keeps these success stories a secret from the American
public.

When we get to the autograph signing at the base gym, it is jam packed, with a
line out the door. It's very well organized by the camp MWR's "Little General."
Also on hand is Clayton Bovey, Entertainment Branch Manager for AFE in Kuwait. I
do my usual thing, introducing Ashley, Maria, and last, but definitely not
least, the three-time football All-American from Florida State, Ron Simmons. I
couldn't believe how many Florida State t-shirts and footballs the servicemen
bring for Ron to sign. And, of course, like all the other bases we visit, the
servicemen have magazine pin-ups and covers of Ashley and Maria to be signed. I
am pleasantly surprised to see all the young soldiers who bring the new WWE DVD,
"The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers," for me to sign. I sign so many, I
have to make sure more than once that they aren't like the bootleg CD of "See No
Evil" I gave to Gary to give to Vince.

After two-and-a-half hours of taking pictures and signing memorabilia, Maria,
Ashley and Gary visit the Mess Hall while Ron and I, along with Richard and
Henry, visit the Armed Forces Entertainment base office to thank the staff there
- guys like Broadie, Mike and Eli -- for their help with the tour. Maria, Ashley
and Gary were joined at lunch by Ryan and Chris Pace. Chris had just flown in
from his base of operations in Baghdad, where he is in charge of securing
programs and entertainment for the troops in Iraq. Our Divas report that Gary
and they struck up a conversation with Vivian Ratliff, Kenneth Williams, Sean
McDonald, Steven Valentin and Justin "Tiny" Brown from the 37th Transportation
Group, who are some of the people that drive the truck convoys bringing supplies
from Arifjan to the troops in Iraq. Tiny is particularly interested in a
possible wrestling career if football doesn't work out. He is currently playing
defensive tackle for Morgan State, but his career is on hold while he serves in
the military.

After a quick lunch, we have a 90-minute drive to our next destination, Camp
Patriot at the Kuwait Naval Base. Yes, Kuwait has a Navy, which it uses to guard
its coast on the Persian Gulf. The base also hosts the largest contingent of the
Army's troop carriers, making it the Army's largest port. Marine and Navy
personnel also use the base as a point of redeployment to varying assignments
around the world. The Air Force runs the camp's administration and we get a
great tour of the facility by Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Barron from Memphis,
Tenn. It's great to see an old home boy. He tells me more about my early career
in Memphis than I can remember. He assures me it was legendary.

After the base tour, we do our next autograph signing and photo session with the
troops on base. These men and women make us feel welcome and are very
rambunctious. Two young men express their admiration for Maria and Ashley by
writing their names in permanent ink on their chests. Ron and I are asked also
to sign their chests, to which I reply, "Sorry, we just ran out of ink." I think
Ron was about to say something else until I remind him, "You are an
All-American."

After a presentation by Camp Commander Lieutenant Colonel Tim Henke, at which we
receive some nifty Certificates of Appreciation and Operation Iraqi Freedom
caps, our duty is done and it is time to head to our base of operations. Along
the way, Ryan, with whom we were now driving, says we are low on gas. However,
we can't find an open gas station, as happens on some Saturdays -- which in
Kuwait is the equivalent to a Monday in the U.S. Many times, Kuwaitis get the
"Saturday" blues and decide to take the day off, an accepted practice here.
Chris, who is riding with us, suggests we go to a nearby military refueling
station, but by the time we arrive, the station is closed. I do get to sign a
bunch of autographs for the MP's on duty. Ryan eventually finds a gas station
just before we hit the big E. By the way, gas is 35-cents a gallon over here.

We have a great dinner in Kuwait with Ryan and Chris inside an historic replica
of a Kuwaiti sailing vessel. After dinner, we receive a commemorative iron
spike. It looks nice, but what do you do with it. I give mine to Gary as another
present for Vince, just in case the "See No Evil" DVD doesn't work. I told Gary
again, no need to mention my name; he can have all the credit.

Earlier in the day, I try to call the Hulkster on our satellite phone to see how
a taping of a recent episode of "Hogan Knows Best" is going. I had been invited
to be part of the episode that is also set to feature Brian Nobbs, Brutus
Beefcake, Greg Valentine and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. However, my trip to visit the
troops keeps me from participating. I wanted to tell Hulk that Hulkamania is
still running wild in the Persian Gulf, as we have sighted several Hulkamania
T-shirts as part of our autograph signings -- almost as many as the "The World's
Greatest Wrestling Managers" DVDs I've signed.

It's another early morning assignment for the Legends and Divas team on Sunday
as we get set to visit two more bases. Please don't forget our troops in your
prayers. It's their heroic actions that enable all of us to sleep soundly in the
good ole' U.S.A. every single night. As for us, we'll also sleep soundly knowing
these brave men and women are defending our country. Each day, we become caught
up in their energy and determination. Just remember, championship belts are won
and lost, but legends last forever.



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