Stars Earn Stripes: Go, Dad!

Stars Earn Stripes: Go, Dad! August 14, 2012

When I heard my dad was going to be on the cast of Stars Earn Stripes, I was excited that he was getting the chance to play for $100,000 for his charity, Armed Services YMCA Alaska.  Plus, I was happy for America to see him in action. After all, I’ve described him as a man who can rebuild a snow machine with one hand tied behind his back, a father who can wrestle with Trig on the floor, and an attentive dad who can braid Piper’s hair for basketball practice.  What can he not do?

So, did you see the show?! The celebrities were divided into squads and had to perform the same assault task, which included helicopters, guns, grenades, mud, and destroying weapons.  Dad was assigned a Marine, who’s now a New York City police officer!  Their squad got delayed when his celebrity team member struggled in the water, with his waterlogged gear. With one man down, Dad activated.

He shimmied through mud under barbed wire so fast that he had already finished the obstacle while the others were just beginning.

The other squads watched on a monitor from another location, amazed at his capability.

“He’s Rambo, he’s straight up Rambo,” said Chris Kyle. “Next time I’m in a war, I want Todd Palin on my side.”

Then, Chris added, “He was the first one on the boat, the first one under the wire, and about the time the rest of the guys were getting through, he already had the crate. You don’t need anyone else,” he said.  “Forget Chuck Norris, send in Todd Palin.”

Dad always directed attention to his charity and to cheer up other contestants who didn’t fare as well.

I know, I know.  The show wasn’t designed to introduce the world to Todd Palin. But it does seem designed to make viewers appreciate the United States military.  After all, the tasks the celebrities are engaging in are actually the types of operations soldiers perform every day.  In a touching moment, one of the celebrities asked her operative if he’d ever killed anyone.

He answered, “We really don’t talk about that kind of stuff.”

In fact, the show seemed to be a fun way to introduce the nation to soldiers whose missions have been anything but fun.

And I’m so glad that America got to see what I already know – my dad is the man!

Do you want to be a part of my DWTS journey? Then, e-mail me so I can add you to my mailing list.  (My address is BristolsBlog @ gmail.com, without the space! Make sure to use the subject line: DWTS.) I’d love to give you the latest up-to-the-minute reports about the show!

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