Humbled De La Hoya Returns Home After Lifting the Spirits of Thousands of Troops on USO Tour to Kuwait and Iraq

Renowned Champion and Accompanying Fighters Depart Region Having  Visited Eight Military Bases and Experienced the Trip of a Lifetime    Oscar de la Hoya (center) poses with troops during his USO tour to the Middle East. De La Hoya (center) boards a cargo plane with troops during his USO tour to the Middle East. De La Hoya, Broner, Jacobs and Mitchell pose in front of army tank during their trip to visit troops in the Middle East.

For full photo gallery click HERE. (Photo Credit: USO photo by Steve Manuel) Twitter Pitch: @GoldenBoyBoxing's @OscarDeLaHoya, @ajtheproblem21, @DanielJacobsTKO & Seth Mitchell return stateside following whirlwind @the_USO tour ARLINGTON, VA. (March 15, 2011) - Olympic Gold Medalist and former Ten-Time World Champion in six weight divisions who turned USO veteran, Oscar de la Hoyatouched down stateside today following a whirlwind seven-day USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to Kuwait and Iraq.  Accompanied by up-and-coming fightersAdrien Broner, Danny Jacobs and Seth Mitchell, De La Hoya led the group to the Middle East on March 8, where they went on to extend their thanks to troops and visit eight military bases.  Among some of the installations visited were Camp Arifjan,COB Basra, Camp Victory, Camp Liberty, JSS Loyalty and JSS Justice. Having lifted the spirits of thousands of servicemen and servicewomen, the group held a series of boxing clinics as well as signed hundreds of autographs and delivered an infinite number of smiles.  Most telling of the group's popularity among troops was seen at Camp Victory, where more than 600 troops turned out to attend a USO boxing demonstration featuring the fighters.  Despite the tour coming to a close, its impact on De La Hoya and the others were felt once they returned home. Quotes:    Attributed to Oscar de la Hoya:   [On the impact the tour had on his life...] "Going on this USO tour and spending time with the servicemen and servicewomen who protect our country was a life-changing experience.  You don't realize what it means to be a participant in our military efforts and the sacrifices each one of them is making to fight for and protect our freedom until you see it first-hand." [On what he learned while out on tour...] "Hearing their stories and seeing what they go through on a daily basis has changed my life.  The opportunity to see how our troops live and understand their ability to be ready for anything at a moment's notice showed me what it means to be truly brave." [On what he plans to do after his tour...] "I hope that we were able to make a difference in the lives of the troops we met.  I am dedicated to continuing to help the USO with their mission of uplifting the spirits of our nation's troops, sharing my experiences and encouraging others to support our brave servicemen and servicewomen in any way they can."