Mark Wahlberg Supports Our Troops in Afghanistan

Actor Mark Wahlberg [above right, with "The Fighter" co-star Christian Bale], made an unpublicized visit to our troops in Afghanistan last month, shortly before the holidays. Key background:

Wahlberg, a married man with four kids, said traveling into a war zone before Christmas was not an easy decision, but his family understood.

"I've been in a lot of hairy situations in the past, and I felt like, you know, we were going to be traveling with the military, so it can't get much safer than that."

When asked if he was scared, he smiled and said, "I probably would have felt a little safer had I had my own weapons ... but no, I'm a very spiritual guy and I get on my hands and my knees and ask God to protect me."

According to Reuters, Wahlberg spent 36 hours on the ground, showed "The Fighter" to an audience of 3,000 servicemembers, and did the usual celebrity visit stuff, but without media presence - i.e., for all the right reasons.

"[Our troops] are still extremely positive and optimistic that they're doing a lot of good over there and helping a country that's really in need," Wahlberg said.

He said he was surprised to find that, not only did troops know him, but Afghani people and troops did, too. [ . . . ]

Where the troops' reviews were concerned, Wahlberg said it was better than some pundits in Hollywood.

"I've always considered the military as the real super-athletes of the world, and if anybody could appreciate (his boxing character's) fight and heart and never-give-up attitude, it would be the soldiers of the Armed Forces," he said. "So, they really got a kick out of the movie.

OYE Comment: Props to Mark Wahlberg for doing this on the Q-T. This means it's all about our servicemembers, not him. We thank Reuters for letting his fans and the American people know about this, but discreetly and after the fact.

Many celebrities in a wide variety of fields have visited with our troops in war zones, and for more than a few hours. They have to check their egos back home - and they do - because that's the way it's done with our military and the U.S.O. No drama. We thank them for all that they do and wish them all the best.