FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 17, 2014) -- The Soldiers and Family members of Fort Benning received a special visit Dec. 9-10, as the superstars of WWE visited for their 12th annual Tribute to the Troops.
As part of WWE's visit, various superstars spent two days on Fort Benning visiting with Soldiers and Family members at different events across post.
"It's just awesome to get a chance to really be able to appreciate what Soldiers and the other members of our Armed Forces do," said WWE superstar Kofi Kingston. "They sacrifice so much, so for us to be able to come here and say 'thank you' in person really means a lot to me personally. A lot of people look at us and they see us on TV where we play these larger-than-life action superheroes, but in reality, the Soldiers are the real-life heroes. We don't have to worry about anything and we can go on living our lives because of them. You forget sometimes that there are people making sacrifices for us to be able to do that, so when we come here, it just kind of emphasizes how important these guys are."
Some of the superstars in attendance had close ties to the military, and said they were excited to be able to spend time with Soldiers.
"My son, Jimmy Hart Jr., served two tours - one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan - so this really hits home for me," said WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart. "Yesterday, we were signing autographs and a Soldier approached me to tell me he had served with my son in Afghanistan. I had to kind of pause for a moment and brush a tear from my eye because it just hit home how special this is."
Superstar Roman Reigns grew up in Pensacola, Florida, with his mother, who worked on Naval Air Station-Pensacola.
"I've had so much experience being around the military, so I have a such a great respect for them and I'm so honored to be (here) in this situation," Reigns said. "It's been great being able to try and give back by meeting the kids and talking to the troops and just try to make a special day for someone. It's humbling because every man and woman I've met today are heroes. They're people that keep me and my Family safe. They allow me to live my dream and provide for my Family. I'm so honored to be in this country, so the least that we can do is come out here to see these guys and spend some time helping them enjoy their day."
WWE superstar Dean Ambrose said his time on Fort Benning gave him additional respect for what Soldiers go through in their military careers.
"Getting to see all these things that these guys do makes me feel like I should go and get a real job," Ambrose said. "It makes me feel lazy considering all I have to do is go and travel to some building and wrestle. That's easy compared to the jobs these guys have and the real sacrifices these guys make. It's cool to be able to meet them and hear their stories."
As part of Tribute to the Troops, WWE and the Department of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation distributed thousands of free tickets for the Dec. 9 Tribute to the Troops event at the Columbus Civic Center to Soldiers and Family members.
In addition to Tribute to the Troops, those in attendance were also treated to a concert by Florida-Georgia Line and a taping of WWE Smackdown.
Ambrose said performing in front of Soldiers was different from a normal WWE audience.
"The crowd was awesome," he said. "They were loud and fun and happy to be there. You feed off that energy, no matter how tired or sore you are. The adrenaline from the crowd just gives you that rush where you don't feel any pain or fatigue. ... I got all pumped up because they all had their uniforms on and it kind of excited me. ... The troops are probably my favorite audience to perform in front of."
Kingston, meanwhile, said all the hard work WWE puts in is worth it when he gets to see Soldiers and their Families smile.
"For that moment that you're in the ring or shaking their hand, you can see them smile and forget about everything else," he said. "So, to be able to do that or provide that is so rewarding."
Tribute to the Troops will air on the USA Network Dec. 17 from 8 to 10 p.m. and will re-air as a one-hour special at 8 p.m. Dec. 27 on NBC.
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