Tampa
Bay Buccaneers
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Tuesday,
September 10, 2002
TE MARCO
BATTAGLIA
(On his impressions of MacDill Air Force Base)
“A feeling of safety, our country is secure. After seeing what is
going on at the Air Force Base, it is refreshing, it really was. It was
a great day for me. I had great excitement. After what transpired last
year, there was some doubt, but that doubt has definitely been washed
away.”
(More on
the Air Force Base)
“We were in an Air Force Base, so there is always high security.
That was my first time at an Air Force Base, so I really can’t compare
it to anything else. But, you definitely feel like there is doubt regarding
the security of the country after visiting MacDill.
It was pretty
fascinating. I mean you really don’t put them into a category until
you really get to meet these people. We met some high ranking officers
and they really have their act together, that’s for sure. These people
are in their positions for a reason.”
(On the personnel
they met at MacDill)
“Just the discipline. They know their objective and they know what
is going on and they are taking care of business.”
(On what
they talked about at the Base)
“They just want to talk about football. We want to know what is going
on in Afghanistan and Iraq and they want to know what’s going on
Sunday. What happened on Sunday? Those guys’ spirits are real high
and it brought our spirits up after last Sunday. It was a good day; it
really was.”
(On the MacDill
Air Force Base)
“I have never seen anything like that. It’s nice to see, because
I live probably 20 minutes away from it. And I would say to have an opportunity
to see what goes on is very reassuring.”
(On September
11th)
“It is one of those days where you would like to sit home and just
sit and talk to family members and friends and give a call back East,
back up North, but it has to be another workday. People, although, it
is definitely been a tragic day in the history of the United States, Americans
usually, they move on. It is kind of one of those things as Americans
we’re all going to have to move on. And we keep that in the back
of our mind, that memory, the tragedy of it. We can get through things
like this, America.”
T LOMAS BROWN
(On the trip to MacDill Air Force Base)
“It was nice. It was a very, very pleasant trip. We got to mingle
with a lot of the enlisted people. Shook a lot of hands and passed out
a lot of souvenirs. It was a fun-filled day and they (the troops) were
excited for us to be there.”
(On the reception
by the troops)
“They were so excited. They were like, ‘Keep your head up after
the loss. We’re still with you. We’re just happy to meet you
guys. You all made our day.’”
They were
almost like kids over there. That was fun for us. With everything they’re
doing behind the scenes, it was just a way for us to thank them.”
(On how the
troops reacted)
“They were very appreciative of it (the visit). It just gives us
a chance to give back. They say they are used to watching us on television
and they don’t have a lot of opportunities to meet professional athletes.”
(On tomorrow
being Sept. 11th)
“Everybody in America knows what is coming up. You know it’s
going to be a sad day tomorrow. Again, if we can take that negative and
turn it into a positive, it probably wouldn’t be as bad or won’t
hurt as bad as what happened a year ago. Hopefully it will just be a day
of remembrance for a lot of people.”
(On how he
thinks New Yorkers will feel on Sept. 11th)
“I think it will be mixed. I think there will be a lot of sadness
but I think for the people that helped New York come back to where it
is now there will be a lot of joy in what they have been able to accomplish
in a year. But a year is not a lot of time for a lot of the families and
a lot of the kids. Hopefully tomorrow will just be a great day for America,
period.”
QB SHAUN KING
(On showing his appreciation)
“A lot of people sacrificed so much on that dreadful day. This was
just one of the ways we could show our appreciation. To go out, not send
a card or a message, but personally say thank you.”
(On the mood
at the base)
“It was happy, they were happy to see us. They were going about their
normal day of work so I think it was refreshing for them and for us. We
got to do some neat things, so it was cool.”
(On how the
visit was for him)
“It was fun. It was good for me because it is kind of therapeutic
in that you can get out and personally tell the guys and the girls thank
you and that we appreciate them for everything that they do because what
greater love is there than being willing to sacrifice your life for someone
else. That is what they basically do in the military and I thank them
for that.”
(On being
a professional athlete and showing his appreciation)
“It just makes you feel good. I think one of the things as a professional
athlete that really gives us a sense of appreciation for what we do is
that people turn to Sundays as a kind of therapy. It was a way for them
to get away from some of the disastrous things going on and that made
us feel good that people enjoy what we do that much.”
(On what
the remembrance of Sept. 11th means to him)
“I think it’s one of those days you just sit and reflect. One
of the things I have done the last year as a big family guy is to really
start taking pictures and video taping a lot of things. That is one of
the things that I have done a lot in the last year is every time we have
those occasions with family I try to take captions of them and I put them
up in the house so when you walk around you get a constant reminder of
the people that mean a lot to you.”
TE TODD YODER
(On his trip to the base)
“We are just really thankful for all that they do and protecting
our country. It was just a really good day down there today.”
(On the response
they received)
“It was great. They look up to us for what we do and we look up to
them for protecting our country. With the September 11th anniversary tomorrow
it was just really good to get down and visit them today. I think everybody
was happy that we were there.”
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