Walker was in Middle East during airstrike on Syria
Titans tight end sees ‘tense’ times during base visit
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker flew to the Middle East this month as part of an NFL-sponsored USO tour expecting to visit troops and get a behind-the-scenes education about the military.
He wasn’t expecting to witness live military action.
“We signed the bombs. Next thing we know, these bombs got to get taken to the jets,” Walker said.
Walker and two fellow NFL players, Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell and New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, were at an Army base in Kuwait when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical attack against civilians in his country April 4.
The NFL players flew the next day to Abu Dhabi, unsure if their scheduled visit with Marines and Air Force airmen would be allowed to proceed. The players were cleared to visit the bases, where they saw where various bombs were housed — and allowed to put their signatures on them — and watched fighter jets take off and land.
Before they could leave one of the bases, military police boarded their bus and made the players delete any pictures or videos taken at the base from their cameras or cellphones.
“You could feel it was getting tense. It was hostile,” Walker told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview Thursday. “I think they were planning a mission. I understand, it was at that point (President) Trump was making the decision, should they interfere, what should they do?
“Things got hostile in that situation. I think everyone was on edge.”
The players were still in the Middle East when President Trump ordered airstrikes on an airfield in Syria on April 7.
Walker said he and his fellow players never felt unsafe, and they returned home with a greater appreciation for what American soldiers endure while serving overseas.
During their eight-day trip, the players interacted with hundreds of military members, learned about their jobs and motivations for serving and participated in fun football skills competition.
Now that he’s back in Nashville, preparing for the start of the Titans’ offseason program next week, Walker is paying close attention to news out of the Middle East, including reports Thursday about the massive bomb dropped by the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
He’s keeping up on developments in Syria while thinking about the soldiers he met and what the American military actions mean for their futures.
“I’m more concerned about the people that are there. I don’t want us to go to war. Just meeting all the people there, some of them, I look at them and I’m like, ‘How are you in the military, you look so young?’ ” Walker said. “Honestly, I know they’re probably scared. They’re not going to tell me that, but I kind of feel concern from them now.”
“I’m more concerned about the people that are there. I don’t want us to go to war. ... Honestly, I know they’re probably scared.” Titans tight end Delanie Walker on identifying with the military personnel he met during a USO tour