On the last day of his week-long trip, Elijah Higgins stood on the tarmac and watched as over 100 troops deplaned to begin their deployment in Kuwait.
As he stood there wearing a neon vest, helping them with their luggage just moments into their military journey, the Cardinals tight end saw the exhausted emotion on their faces. Yet it changed moments later.
"They're going straight to work right off the plane, so you could see they looked kind of defeated and tired," Higgins said. "When they made the announcement that there are NFL players visiting, you could see the change on their face (because) they were thrilled and excited.
"That's when I realized like, 'OK, dang, we really are having an impact.'"
Higgins joined Vikings running back Aaron Jones on the NFL's annual USO Tour as part of the Salute to Service initiative. While on the trip, Higgins and Jones visited military bases, received a behind-the-scenes look at military equipment, sat in on a call with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and met with service members.
"I keep telling people that it was a lot more impactful than I thought it was going to be," Higgins said. "They re-emphasized how appreciative they were of us coming."
The Cardinals have a history of players visiting overseas military bases. Legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald participated in a USO Tour to Kuwait in 2009, and last season, tight end Trey McBride and running back DeeJay Dallas visited troops in Poland.
Higgins first heard of the USO opportunity from his fellow tight end, which made it a no-brainer once Higgins' agency approached him with the opportunity. However, Higgins is no stranger to being around the armed forces.
Elijah's father, George, served 28 years in the Air Force. As a senior master sergeant, he served as an electronic countermeasures avionics technician and recruiter. He was deployed to Afghanistan three times.
"We lived in a discipline household," Elijah said. "We couldn't do things until your room was clean and had to get your homework done before you could do anything. It was 'yes ma'am, no ma'am, please and thank you.'"
The 24-year-old tight end also credits the manners to Southern hospitality. While in Kuwait, stories he had heard from his father, such as the plumbing and living situations from his time in the military, would occasionally come to mind.
Football wasn't out of sight either. Jones and Higgins attended a seven-on-seven championship game between the troops which felt like a high school game.
"There were cowbells and a really big crowd," Higgins said. "It was really cool to see, they played really hard, and were excited for us to be there."
Even though he was raised in a household with military values, Higgins' appreciation for the armed services grew throughout the trip. The uniforms are certainly different, and Higgins recognizes that, but he discovered a similar trait that will stick with him heading into the 2025 season.
"What they're doing right now is staying prepared, and that was honestly cool to see," Higgins said. "Because as an athlete, you are constantly preparing for something in sight. We know the season is coming. Whereas they're preparing without knowing what's going to happen or when it's going to happen. That level of dedication is really cool to see."
