USO trip a life-changer for Raiderette
By Jason Anderson
Staff Writer
Recordnet.com
August 08, 2009
STOCKTON – Some new emotions swirled inside Ashlee Marks as she descended into Baghdad aboard a C-130 Hercules military transport plane carrying American soldiers and four other Oakland Raiderettes.
The 23-year-old St. Mary’s High School graduate donned a Kevlar vest and looked into the eyes of troops who were being deployed for the first time that day. She thought about her appreciation for the American way of life, the sacrifices U.S. troops make in the name of freedom and the incredible bravery of the mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who risk their lives to protect it.
“It was a life-changing experience,” said Marks, a Raiderette for four seasons who works for an insurance brokerage firm in Concord. “I got to see firsthand what the men and women of our country are fighting for on a daily basis, and it made me feel so much gratitude and a newfound respect for people in the armed forces.”
The Raiderettes, who made an appearance Friday on Raider Nation Night at Stockton Ballpark, visited more than 40 bases in Kuwait and Iraq during a two-week USO tour from May 25 to June 6. Marks said they flew 17 hours to reach the Middle East. The temperature when they arrived in Baghdad was 130 degrees.
The Raiderettes toured Saddam Hussein’s former palace and the surrounding palaces where his wives and grandchildren once lived. They greeted troops, visited wounded soldiers and performed hour-long shows each night.
They traveled in Blackhawk helicopters with two pilots and two door gunners. One pilot asked them to autograph the inside hood of a Blackhawk that has been in use since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. They signed right next to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
“It was nothing short of an honor to be selected and to go over there representing the Raiderettes and Raider fans, but more importantly all the Americans who support America’s heroes,” said Emily Compagno, a Raiderette who works as a criminal defense attorney in Burlingame. “For us it was an honor to meet them, but it was reciprocated tenfold in their response to us.”
Compagno said Marks did her part to boost the troops’ morale.
“What Ashlee brought to Iraq was such a warm spirit and joy and connection she’s able to make with literally every person she ever comes in contact with,” Compagno said. “I saw firsthand the effect she had on so many soldiers, men and women, who appreciated her sincerity, genuineness, care and passion for everyone over there.”
Marks met one woman who lost her leg in a mortar attack two days earlier and other troops who have been killed or injured since the Raiderettes returned from the trip. She said each of the American soldiers she met made a lasting impression on her.
“They would give their lives for anybody,” Marks said. “These men and women – I can’t even tell you – I just have so much respect for them and everything they do.”
