Hello, this is Michael Cole, aboard a C-17 cargo jet, along with 62 WWE personnel, that includes technical crew and WWE Superstars at Andrews Air Force Base, ready to take off for our annual Tribute to the Troops.
This cargo plane (seen above) holds 110,000 lbs. of cargo. We have 80,000 pounds of equipment loaded for this trip. For the first time ever, the troops, when they see our show, will get the total WWE television TV experience. Because, for the first time ever, we are bringing a high-definition TitanTron and LED, or video board.
WWE personnel took months creating and engineering this very special TitanTron so that it would work in desert conditions, including in the sand in the desert. It is the first HD TitanTron that we’ve ever brought to Iraq – and the first-ever HD TitanTron that will ever be used in an entertainment show in a war zone.
Our main goal this year is to entertain the troops, to give them the full WWE experience. The troops this year will be entertained this year with video packages and entrance videos. They’ll feel like they really are at a Monday Night Raw or a WWE TV event, and really feel like there are part of the show that will air on NBC the Saturday before Christmas.
Of course, there’s the ring, the turnbuckles, the ropes, microphones, television equipment and cameras … everything that will make this experience the best it can be.
And we will actually set up this arena in the middle of a desert, to entertain our troops while we’re over there for our sixth-annual Tribute to the Troops.
Editor's Note: The preceeding was transcribed from audio dispatches from the WWE's Tribute to the Troops mission. For complete coverage of Tribute to the Troops, visit the Tribute section on WWE.com. Also, Leave your holiday messages for the troops in the Forums on WWE Universe.




AWSOME! Will it be on television? If so, what channel and what time?
Francisco ←¼ ôƒ...05:53 PM EST