Wright-Patterson airmen and Bengals rookies each confessed themselves to be a bit starstruck of the other on Friday.
“It’s been one experience I never had in my life,” said Airman 1st Class Desmond Euell, a native of Baltimore. “Growing up and everything, I went to football games, knowing the Ravens, but actually being with a team like the Bengals, they’re a great team ... These people are really great people.”
“Their job is cool,” said Bengals rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart. “Between the airplanes and stuff, especially training the dogs, I feel like their jobs are pretty cool. In a different life, I’d probably be an army man.”
Bengals players signed football memorabilia for Wright-Patterson airmen, including footballs and hats, and tossed around a few footballs with kids in the afternoon. Players got to see different aircraft as well on the military base, though all of that is just a small portion of what goes on at Wright-Patterson to support the nation’s Air Force.
Euell added that he enjoyed talking about his work as security forces personnel, saying it’s a rather everyday job for him at this point, but he appreciated the players’ curiosity and good questions.
“They are really invested, especially the aircraft, seeing the aircraft itself on the runway, they’re like, ‘Wow, this is the size of my house,’” he said.
Euell added that while he plans to root for both the Bengals and the Ravens when they go head-to-head on Thanksgiving, the Ravens will always be his number one team.
“We love y’all, but I don’t know if you can convert me,” he joked.
Stewart said that while this is his first time doing a kids’ camp, he plans to do more.
“I can’t remember how old I was, but Trey Flowers had a camp back in my hometown, and I remember seeing him, I’m like, ’Man, I want to be just like him one day,’ ” said Stewart. “Even though he played on the line, I was like, ‘I want to be there someday.’ ”
The visit is one of a few offseason activities the rookie Bengals are engaging in to connect with the team’s surrounding communities.
“To the airmen of Wright-Patt, keep doing what you’re doing. I know sometimes it could be hard, but just know the nation supports you and we feel, we honor you with all our heart, and our nation wouldn’t be what it is without y’all,” Stewart said.
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