“There are Dayton Flyer T-shirts all over that base now,” he said. “The other coaches were joking that the Army is going to put in a new uniform dress code that includes Dayton Flyer T-shirts because so many were handed out.”
Gregory was joined on the trip by Army coach Jim Crews, Longwood coach Mike Gillian, former New York Knicks assistant GM Jeff Nix, ex-Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, former Boston University coach Dennis Wolf and a pair of coaches-turned-ESPN-analysts, Steve Lavin and Fran Fraschilla.
Though the war in Iraq has been a divisive issue, Gregory, who is beginning his seventh year with the Flyers, came back more convinced than ever that the U.S. is involved in a worthy endeavor.
“I just really believe — and not everybody can do it — if more of these stories over there were told and more time was spent watching them, I think there’d be a lot different feeling about this stuff,” he said.
Among the highlights were interacting with the soldiers, riding in a Chinook helicopter and being allowed to sit in on a military briefing with Maj. Gen. Robert Caslen.
“You’ve heard about being in a ‘war room?’ We were in a real one, and this wasn’t the NFL or NBA,” Gregory said.
The realization that all service men and women have volunteered for duty — knowing they’d be entering combat — has affected Gregory’s outlook on life.
“How you look at things will never be the same,” he said. “You have a greater tendency not to take things for granted. You do feel a much greater pride in the people serving this country. And you just become a little less tolerant of any negative comments about these young men and women over there.
“They’ve put this country and our way of life ahead of their own safety and their lives. Can you think of a greater mission as a person or a greater sacrifice someone can make for you?”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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