Medal of Honor recipients, actors Sinise, Ratzenberger visit Ramstein on USO tour

[unhappycamper]

Airman 1st Class Nikol Brown reaches out to touch the Medal of Honor worn by Drew Dix during a USO-sponsored visit to the passenger terminal Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Dix, along with fellow Medal of Honor recipient Mike Thornton and actors Gary Sinise and John Ratzenberger, visited with military members traveling from the Middle East to the States. Brown works in the U. S. Air Forces in Europe Headquarters and was flying space available to the States on leave.


Medal of Honor recipients, actors Sinise, Ratzenberger visit Ramstein on USO tour
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, January 26, 2008

RAMSTEIN, Germany — Actors Gary Sinise and John Ratzenberger, better known as Lt. Dan in “Forrest Gump” and Cliff Clavin on “Cheers,” respectively, greeted dozens of homebound troops Friday at Ramstein Air Base’s passenger terminal.

Also with the Hollywood stars were two Medal of Honor recipients, who had stars of their own dangling from the unmistakable blue ribbons around their necks.

Former Navy SEAL Mike Thornton and Army Staff Sgt. Drew Dix, both of whom received the military’s highest award for valor for actions in Vietnam, posed for pictures, and chatted with and thanked troops. The redeploying troops, who had flown in from Kuwait, were waiting to board a plane to the States for the second leg of their flight.

The two-day trip to Germany is part of a USO celebrity and Medal of Honor recipient tour. After the men visited the passenger terminal, they headed to nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to look in on injured troops there.

Many troops interviewed Friday at the passenger terminal said they were impressed that people with such busy lives took time to thank servicemembers in person.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51932

[90-percent]

1. Ratzenberger

Good for him! I'm kind of a fan. Love his "Made in America" TV roadshow, where he tours the country and manages to find people still making things in the USA!

-90% Jimmy