Former NFL stars Matt Millen, Anthony Muñoz and Merril Hoge have all done standout work on the field and have made post-playing careers of analyzing the sport they love. So it didn’t take them long to find the words to describe their feelings after their week-long tour to visit the troops serving in Middle East.

The tour allowed the ex-players to offer greetings and thanks to our service men and women and reaffirmed the trio’s admiration for our armed services.

“We couldn’t have been more impressed by what we saw and the people we met,” Millen wrote on his blog entry for ESPN.com. “I was so impressed by the dedication and professionalism of these young soldiers. They’re excited about their jobs and their spirits are so high. I’m really looking forward to the next stop on our USO tour.”