Colts cheers erupt in Baghdad

[Breeze54]

Colts cheers erupt in Baghdad

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/LOCAL/70204015/0/SPORTS03

By Laura Olson - February 4, 2007

As the final seconds ticked from the clock, pandemonium erupted in Baghdad.

Indiana National Guard soldiers from Indianapolis stationed in Iraq were yelling
and jumping in excitement as they cheered on their Colts thousands of miles from home.

About 25 soldiers from the 38th Division Support Command and other area units gathered
throughout the game, watching a projected video from a laptop, said chief warrant officer Matthew Lohsl.

“I’m feeling like a champion,” said Sgt. 1st Class Troy L. Dumes Jr., laughing.
“We’ve been waiting on this every Sunday and this is the way to go out.”

Dumes said his last words to his wife, Antonette, before he left for Iraq
several months ago were predicting a Colts-Bears Super Bowl.

“It’s really ironic for me,” he said. “I’m really happy for Coach Dungy and Peyton
and Marvin and the guys. We really have a great group of guys.”

Soldiers decorated a conference room with blue-and-white balloons, streamers
and newspaper articles about the Colts, he said.
Care packages from home supplied chips, cookies and Colts apparel.
Pizza, a rare delicacy for the soldiers, was brought in for the occasion.

The unit includes soldiers from across the state, and even a handful of Bears fans,
who mostly steered clear of the celebration.

“There was one in here, cheering every once in awhile,
but he didn’t have much to cheer about,” Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Waggoner said.

The time difference means a 2 a.m. kickoff, local time. Some soldiers watched kickoff
after just ending a shift, while others trickled in throughout the game.
Regardless, work on the base will continue as usual Monday.

“Tomorrow will still be a normal work day, so some people are opting to sleep
and wake up for the tail end,” Lohsl said.

As the tired soldiers get ready for 8 a.m. duty in a little more than an hour,
they say the happy ending will be more than enough to keep them going.

“Out of our six months here, this has been the evening, and it should
carry us through for awhile,” Dumes said.

-------

Glad to hear some of them got to watch the game!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. That's awesome!

I'm glad some of our boys got to watch the game.

:thumbsup:

:toast:

[HappyWeasel]

3. Hey...

at least they have a hometown that went to the super bowl.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. Yeah, I'm a NY Giants fan myself, but I was rooting for the Colts tonight.

And when you're over there, it's the little things that count. One of my friends is in the Navy and he also raced sailboats. Anyway, he got stationed in the middle of the desert. He was all bummed out about not having a boat. My friends and I won an inflatable canoe at the bar last year. We mailed it to him and he thought it was the best thing ever. Just a dumb little gesture and he had no real use for it, but just having that little boat made him happy.

[Hosnon]

2. That's good to hear. Football may be retarded but it is a common thread

in the U.S. and therefore has quite a bit of value.

Good job Colts! You made some of our troops in that Hellhole feel a little bit better tonight.

[TwoHandedLayup]

4. Cool

I just wish it meant that they got to come home!

[krispos42]

5. They'd better be careful

NFL is shutting down public viewings of games unless they're at a bar.

I wonder how the Baghdad troops would handle a lawyer taking away their Superbowl? :evilgrin:

I'm betting one of the would just look at the lawyer and say two words: "Abu Ghraib", then smile.

Somebody posted a thread, something like "How super is the SuperBowl anyway?" I'd say it was pretty damn super to the troops!

[Breeze54]

7. "I'd say it was pretty damn super to the troops!"

I'd have to agree!
Anything to ease their minds...even a little is a good thing!
I wish they could've all been home to see it on their own tv's!!

Bring them home...NOW!!!! argh...

[RB TexLa]

12. If you made a movie or put on a sporting event, would you let

movie theaters air it, charge admission for people to watch and give you nothing? Would you let them run their own commercials? What if every movie theater in the country did so and the television network you signed to allow your sporting event or movie to air came to you the next year and said instead of giving you $400,000 to run your event they are giving you $20,000 because only half the people they thought were going to watch on TV did and they expect less in the next year and have had to cut their rates to sell ads? Would you have any thought about protecting your your investment in your product? Or would you think, well I made it but anyone else can just take it for free and use it to create their own enterprise and make money off of it? That is what the unlicensed larger than whatever inch screen rule is about.

[krispos42]

17. They sell advertising that is being broadcast during the game

It's not like your local church has some divine device that replaces the Budweiser commercials with hymns.

Now, I'm personally for whatever keeps people out of church just on general priciples, but seeing as how I don't have to buy a ticket to watch the Superbowl, and the church wasn't charging admission (IIRC), I just happen to think the NFL was being prickish.

[RB TexLa]

26. And a movie theater could run their ads they sell instead of the ads the network sold

I agree the NFL goes a little far in this, I'm sure they look at it as a slippery slope, allowing churches first leads to the next group, so on and so on. I think judges have sided with the NFL in more cases than they should have, but the premise of protecting their right to provide their product and prevent others from profiting is and should be protected.

The church does have such a device, it's the off button on the television, but that really isn't what the rule is about, no one is obligated to watch the ads. The network pays the fee based on what they can earn by selling the ads, the NFL or anyone is going to make sure no one else is given the opportunity to run their own ads instead.

[krispos42]

30. Yeah, but channel-surfing in front of a large group of people?

Seems to be this would be the kind of event where they just turn on the TV and leave it on. You don't know how long the commercials are, or when they run.

And churches are, for the most part, non-profit to begin with!

[RB TexLa]

34. It's off the point from what I was saying, that the rule is not out of vengeance

it's serves to protect someone who has developed a product. You can look at boxing and see where it hurt that sports industry. It's not to protect them from churchs or me showing the game on a big TV at my house to a group of people.



However, your notion of replacing the ads with hymns is easy, and would not violate the spirit of the rule. How would they know the commercial was over? I'm sure a second (smaller) television would be an easy way to know the game was back on and it is time to hit the power button on the big TV and stop singing. :)

[krispos42]

37. And interrupt praises to Jesus? Never! :-)

I understand intellectual property rights. But having said that... with TV and radio a constant fact of life, beamed directly into a billion or more receivers in this country, with recording devices galore everyplace, I always thought this problem was overtaken by events.

Oh, well. One more reason for the Christians to whine and bitch about how sports worship has replaced God worship. And one more reason for fundies of all faiths to hate us for being godless idol-worshippers!

Count me among the latter!

[Breeze54]

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[RB TexLa]

21. What you are describing is no different than putting up an antenna connecting it

to your television and watching what is put over the airwaves, just different technology.

[Breeze54]

24. and? They have satellite service in Iraq.

[RB TexLa]

27. I'm not saying the troops watching the game violated any broadcasting

or licensing rule. I was making the point that the rule on public showings on certain size screens is part of something that is not evil in it's invention or intent.

[Breeze54]

28. Thanks for clearing that up!

;)

I must have misunderstood then.

[greenissexy]

6. Sigh

More proof that the same type of people that will kill for Bush are the type of people that like that awful violent game. This ridiculous day makes me very angry every year. It gets tiring hearing about the "big game" each year. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't solve anything. It doesn't help anyone. Why do so many stupid people in this country talk about it so much?

[Name removed]

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[piedmont]

11. I agree. This one smells funny.

[greenissexy]

13. You are ill informed!

How long has it been since he was selected as president? If someone is still in it is only because they want to serve him.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

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[piedmont]

10. Wow, man.

Do you spend every waking minute of your life being productive, solving problems and helping people? You must be delightful at parties.

[salinen]

14. I love you too.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

15. Errr...welcome to DU. Now onto my response.

Most of our troops are honorable Americans. I've got friends over there. They don't like it, but they're there. They're good people. Damned good people.

And you don't like football.

Let me say, so what?

Lots of people like football. I fucking love football. I wouldn't kill for Bush, and I don't really consider football all that violent. I just like the *game.* That's what it is. A GAME. Yeah, it doesn't really help anyone, but lots of people like it. So what's wrong with that? It doesn't really hurt anyone either. It's just good fun.

[greenissexy]

18. Not violent?

> It doesn't really hurt anyone either.

Of course it does. It cripples hundreds every year. I have two students right now still on crutches because of that violence. Both had surgery and for one it didn't go so well so he's going to have to go through that again this summer when he can stay off of his feet for three months straight. It's shocking that so many parents accept seeing their children's lives ruined for just a game.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

19. Injuries are part of the game, but that's part of EVERY sport.

Hell, I've got a messed up knee and shoulder from the martial arts. I don't consider the martial arts violent and while I was injured, I don't consider them hurting me. I think it's a good activity.

If a kid wants to play football, then great. It's a thousand times better than getting soft playing video games.

[Bozita]

23. Meaningless. Getting them home safely means everything!

If these folks need the outcome of a football game to sustain their efforts, we are truly doomed.

Sad for us, sad for them, sad for the Iraqis.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

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[Breeze54]

32. They have one

fucking night(?) hour of happiness and you have to stomp on it!

Get a life!

I'm glad they got a chance to watch the game, even if it was a small amt of time.

They deal with enough fucked up shit between the WH and assholes who constantly attack them!

[Name removed]

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[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

35. My team winning a game cheers me up and I'm not even stuck in that hell-hole.

Let them have their fun where they get it. Geez.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

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[Bluebear]

33. Meanwhile it sucks for the Illinois Guard members

:hide:

[Breeze54]

38. lol ................ n/t

[Leopolds Ghost]

39. Watching football is destructive to the morale of our

troops who are Bears fans. Someone should be thinkin of them.