Chiefs Cheerleaders Head To Kuwait And Iraq For 12-Day Military Base Tour
Six Chiefs Cheerleaders will spend Independence Day in Iraq with members of the United States Armed Forces
Six Chiefs Cheerleaders began their 4th of July weekend boarding a United Airlines flight at Kansas City International Airport. The final destination: Kuwait and Iraq.
The Chiefs will be represented by veteran cheerleaders Summer (pictured), Krystal, Katie, Liz, Lindsay and Jeron, who departed Kansas City on Friday to begin a 12-day U.S. Military Base tour that spans across multiple branches of America’s armed forces.
While overseas, the cheerleaders will visit hospitals, MWR Centers and multiple locations on bases for meet and greets during the day. The squad will perform a variety show for troops each evening and military personnel will get a chance to meet the women after each show.
In addition, the Chiefs have donated team t-shirts and hats for the cheerleaders to distribute to the men and women of our armed forces throughout the tour.
“We were actually invited by Pro Sports MVP and they called us because there are several Kansas Brigades over in Iraq,” explained Chiefs Cheer Director Stephanie Judah. “They asked for the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders to come visit. We were actually specifically requested by those troops.
“The girls are going to spend Independence Day over in Iraq with our troops, which is an amazing and special moment that they will never forget.”
While in the Middle East, Chiefs Cheerleaders will board Black Hawk Helicopters as well as other military vehicles to travel from base to base. Each show lasts one hour and consists of singing, dancing and other audience-engaging performances.
The opportunity to visit America’s service men and women is especially meaningful for Summer, who is making her first overseas military visit. Summer’s brother, Taylor, is a member of the U.S. Navy and has been deployed overseas three times over the past four years.
“Coming from a military family, I’ve seen him traveling overseas a number of times and it’s going to be interesting for me to get somewhat of an idea of what that experience is like,” Summer said.
Taylor is scheduled to return home from his final tour in three weeks, just a week after Summer will have arrived back in Kansas City.
“I’m just so excited for him to come home,” Summer said. “It’s been really interesting for me because I’ve seen the challenges he’s had to endure being away from his finance and family. He’s gone for months at a time and sometimes all you get is an email of two every few weeks. So I’ve kind of seen what it’s like from a military wives perspective as well.”
Chiefs Cheerleaders have previously toured military bases in Egypt, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Cuba, Spain, Portugal and numerous bases stateside.
Fans can follow the overseas journey on Twitter @ChiefsCheer
