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Saturday, March 14, 2009

Update


Hey Guys
Just want to let you know where I am going to be over the next couple of weeks so you can come by and see me.
This Monday, I will at Laguna Beach High School, that’s right, the one that was on the MTV television show a few years ago. I will be doing a YRG workout with 150-200 students, athletes, parents and teachers. So how did the happen? Well their head Baseball Coach, Jeff Sears, is friends with my business partner, Alan Ludloff. Coach Sears had been doing YRG for awhile, so one day while they were driving, Alan called me and handed the phone to the Coach…who was also a huge DDP fan. I gave him a few YRG tips and he said, “My baseball team would love this”. 2 weeks later I show up at the high school and take his Varsity baseball team through the workout…with Dr. Austin, the High School principal. That was a month ago. Since then the principal, the coach, the baseball players and a lot of other students have been doing YRG. They asked if I would come back and I said “only if it was with a 100 kids on the football field”. Well on Monday March 16 at 2:30 I will be in Laguna Beach…the real OC!

Then I leave for Syracuse, NY for a fundraising event on March 21 for Sgt. Chris Simpson. The story at the end of this email explains the chain of events that lead to this. I met Chris in Iraq about a year ago and about 2 weeks later I got an email that said “Diamond Dallas Page fan dies in the line of duty”…You get the idea of what happened, but when you read emails from the families, then you will know why am I there for them. At the fundraising event I will be giving my Living Life at 90% speech and signing autographs. I donated some Positively Page Books, YRG Workout DVD’s and action figures with all proceeds going to the foundation
On April 3rd I will be in Houston, TX at Booker T’s “Legends of Wrestling Fanfest”, which raises money for his charity Fight for Kids Foundation. Joining me there will be Sting, Kevin Nash, Samoa Joe, Jake the Snake Roberts and a lot of others. It‘s at that George Brown Convention Center in Houston, I will forward more info as I get it.
After Booker’s event I am going to Wrestlemania Hall of Fame induction to see my bro, Stone Cold Steve Austin, get inducted into the WWE HOF.
From Texas I will be heading back to LA to celebrate my 53rd birthday which is on April 5th. This is a really big B-Day weekend for me because we are also finally launching the YRG Fitness System infomercial on television. It will be airing around the country on April 4th and 5th. To give you a little trivia, 13 years earlier on my Birthday when I turned 40, Randy Savage put me over in the middle of the ring with the Diamond Cutter. I have a lucky #13 next to a charicature of my favorite cat Spooki on my left arm and I am writing this email on Friday the 13th. 13 has always been lucky for me. Say a prayer it continues. So this is really you last chance to get the Original YRG Workout dvds on the YRG site... Wait till you see the NEW YRG site (Coming in April!)... it is out of site!

Speaking of my wrestling days, I have some new You Tube videos that the fans did on the Old School wrestling section of my website.
Here is the Sgt. Christopher Simpson email I sent out a year ago and the emails back from his family:
As most of you know I have been on tours of Afghanistan and Iraq to visit the troops... When I get back from a place like Afghanistan or Iraq I always have a whole bunch of stories from the places I've been and people I've met and lived with... stories about our troops... the guys and gals that who put their lives on the line for US everyday... Heroes... Real Heroes... it doesn't matter if you believe in the war or you Hate the war... as Americans we always should LOVE the WARRIOR..
So I got an email from Navy CPT Francis Lukenbill who shared with me what happened to his nephew after I left Iraq on one of my tours.
He was one of those kids who grew watching DDP in his living room when he was growing up, maybe ages 5 through 12... like so many kids growing up in the late 90’s he loved the Monday Night Wrestling Wars every Monday and Thursday... So when he saw me in Iraq on his way to a mission I must of seemed like a mirage... From what I heard he was more than a little excited to meet DDP... Sometimes these guys are so excited to meet one of their childhood heroes, they will run over one of the beautiful women also on tour to get to me... It’s amazing the impact you can have on someone life... It's something I have never taken for granted... His name was SGT Christopher C. Simpson... When ever I take pictures with anyone I almost always put my left hand straight out in from of me making half my trademarked Diamond Cutter hand sign and get the other person to complete the sign... everyone always laughs or at least smiles and has good time with it... I may have done that same picture a 100 times in a row, and then out of Nowhere I go to do the hand sign and I reach up and grab the guys neck in the real Diamond Cutter and everyone POPS BIG TIME... they love it... this email is the about one of those times... it's so personal to me that after reading this email over and over again I realize that this is the only thing that belongs in this email about my trip to Iraq...
These are the exact emails ... I asked the families if it was OK to let you read them and they loved the idea... like so many families they do not want their sons to be forgotten...
Subject: Diamond Dallas Page Fan Killed in the Line of Duty
Dear Diamond Dallas,
My name is Francis Lukenbill, Uncle of SGT Christopher C. Simpson USA. The attached photo is of the two of you during a recent visit you made to Iraq. This is a beautiful picture...one loved by Chris.
Sadly, Christopher was killed in action on Monday 17 March while honorably and willingly serving his country. He and his friendSSGT Mike Elledge were taken swiftly and painlessly as their Humvee was cowardly attacked.
His mother, father, brother, fiancé , and a multitude of relatives and friends are grief stricken by this tragedy. Please accept the family's thanks for giving us the image of the two of you that we laughed over many an hour during the past few weeks.
Remember him and all who serve. Thank you, too, for visiting them in country... Sincerely, (Uncle) Luke

Needless to say this hit me hard…I had to breath through it and then wrote Uncle Luke this note:
Luke,
Hey bro I just received your email and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I was to read about your loss... it brings tears to my eyes as I am writing this email while flying back home from NY where I did a personal appearance and reffed a match last night... Of course I hit someone with a Diamond Cutter as well... Chris would have loved it...Many people have let me know that they are proud of me for going over to see our boys in Iraq and Afghanistan yet there are others who ask me why I continue to do it... it's to dangerous they say... My response is always the same... I quote Demi Moore from "A Few Good Men" when she is asked the question why do you love the guys so much... her reply ... "Because they are the ones who stand on the wall and risk there lives every day and say... you’re going to be safe tonight..." I'm not sure if that is the exact quote but it gets the point across...
So many guys come up to me while I was over there (this was my 4th trip over... once to Afghanistan and my 3rd to Iraq) ... they would tell me how they grew up watching me in there living rooms and many have even told me... it was like I was part of their family... That's powerful to me... and then they say something like... you just don't know DDP... you just don't know... but I do... I know what it means to these boys to get to hang out with a guy they dreamed of being like...their childhood hero... I do know and it always brings a HUGE smile to my face as I see their faces light up... no matter how burned out I am at the time those guys and gals totally energizes me... that's why when I go over there I try to do more than just shake hands and make them laugh by putting them in the Diamond Cutter like I did to Chris... Btw... I did the Diamond Cutter picture hundreds of times on that last tour and I actually remember taking this picture with Chris... He loved it... I hadn't done it that day till right there and he loved it... The Diamond Cutter move would always come out of no where... so it surprised the boys and made them laugh and remember... it took them out of that shit hole they were living in for just a moment and all of a sudden they were back in there living rooms and DDP just popped through their TV and put a Diamond Cutter on them... when ever I did it like that it was always priceless... and I then I wouldn't do it for awhile unless some asked to have me to put them in the Diamond Cutter...which was always my honor to do... When ever I would get the chance to do a setting where I could actually have the boys sit down and speak to them for about an hour I would talk about my concept of Living Life at 90% ... the formula is (Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% about how you react to it... then I would do a Q an A with them or even take them through my YRG workout... I really love spending that kind of Quality time with them... but any contact at all is always as morale boosting for them as it is for ME...
I may have been one of Chris' heroes, but just so you know... he was and is my HERO and I won't forget him... I put his picture up on my wall in my house... So he's never forgotten...

(there are more pictures up on the site of this area of my home)
Click for More Photos

Thank you so much for sending me the picture of Chris and I together... if it's Ok with you I would like to put this up when I write my next email story about going to Iraq for my Diamond Dallas Page site... I would also like to put the email you wrote me within my email as well if it is all right with you... I think too many people forget who and where these guys are (out of site out of mind) and I believe it's important that they are reminded so they are not forgotten... but you let me know bro... I'll do what ever works for you...
Deepest Sympathy to all your family and friends
D. Dallas Page

This is Uncle Luke’s emails me and then one from Chris’s his Mom:
Dear DDP,
I can not tell you how your awesome note has blessed and touched our family. I called Chris' mom, Kate (my sister) when I saw your note in my in box. I could not wait to share it...she was on the cell phone with Chris' father, Scott, at the same time (kinda two fisting it...). He was equally touched. I immediately forwarded your e-mail to as many family and friends as I could and Kate and Scott are doing the same as we speak. As a friend of mine just said after reading your note, "This is really beautiful...I can't believe how Chris is still affecting people's lives in new and beautiful ways..." How true this is...
Chris' family is totally supportive of your use of the photo and e-mail...anything to help your cause and others in Harms Way. We live in a great country for sure...Chris would want to share...his heart was huge and his love for his fellow man was equally grand.
The fact that you actually remembered Chris is very special...you are family now!
There are many military personnel in our clan and please know that if there is anything we can ever do for you in support of your outreach...you must let me know.
Thank you for your courage and I know I speak for you when I say, thank you, SGT Christopher Curtis Simpson, for yours.
God's Speed to you...
Gratefully,
Uncle Luke, Captain, United States Navy
PS. My wife, Joy, quoted Demi Moore this week as well...you got it perfect!

From: Kate Mclaughlin
Subject: Re: I am so very sorry for your loss... DDP Chris's MOM
Dear Diamond Dallas,
My name is Kate and I am the mother of our Fallen HERO Christopher. I will never forget the phone call that I got shortly after his Diamond Cutter. He said. "Mom you are never going to believe what happened to me" Of course my response “No, Chris, probably not”. He said Diamond Dallas Page just put me in a Diamond Cutter. I say " Chris who and what is that and he proceeded to tell me.
When I saw the picture that he sent me my heart was filled with joy, I was very excited for him that he got to meet some great people. He touched the lives of many. I thank you for touching his life in the time of need when i was not there. He was a mommy’s boy and called me ever other day if not ever day even being over there. I would continuously tell him how proud I was and how much I love him. Maybe at some point if you are ever in the Hampton VA area I would be happy to share videos. I am going to miss his smile his soft spoken words and the phone calls but I know that someone had a greater mission for him. I thank you again for all you do and continue to do to support our troops. I am honored that that picture will be hanging in your house you were his HERO.
Please use the picture again I am Honored but if you could send me you web page site I would love to see the article. As I told Chris I'm computer illiterate so e-mail is about my speed.
Thanks again for what you do and never hesitate to contact my brother for what ever he will be more then happy to help. He is incredible. He has been military for 25 years and he told me his most difficult but honorable mission was escorting his nephew home. I have a bond with him that will last forever (even closer then siblings) It gave me comfort to know that Chris was with someone he loved and respected very much and Luke talked to him the whole trip. Thanks again for our memory that I will cherish for ever and your picture will to hang in my house.
GOD BLESS THE GOOD GUYS
HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE
Kate Mclaughlin (Chris's Mom) 
I got this email the other day from Chris’s dad... 
Dear DDP,
My name is Scott Simpson, father of Christopher Simpson. I’m writing to you to thank you for your generous acts of kindness to our family
and those directly affected by our son’s death last March 17, 2008.
You see I was in Colorado at a little gathering we had for Chris’s
closest friends when they got back from Iraq. Carol Fires, Chris’s
Fiancée received a phone call from whom other than DDP. The timing of
that phone call was impeccable as the whole weekend was full of bitter
sweet emotion. We were glad to see Chris’s friends receive their
heroes welcome but grief stricken that our Chris didn’t get off the
plane with them. She almost didn’t take the call but, as she puts it,
“ a little voice told her to” and to her surprise you where on the
other end to wish her a Happy Birthday. I have to say, that phone
call put the icing on the cake and really helped her except and
celebrate her birthday….which because of the timing and emotion packed
weekend she really did not want to do. Now on the anniversary of her
birthday she will have that phone call to remember and to help balance
the anniversary of a bitter sweet homecoming. The call generated a
lot of excitement for the guys also as they remember your visit in
Iraq and have the pictures to prove it.
I remember Chris’s phone call right after you landed in a chopper
before they went out on a mission. It really made his day and can
still here his excitement in his voice as he said “ Dad you’re not
going believe what just happened, DDP and a bunch of other clebs just
landed right next to us and we got to hang out with them and take a
few pictures”. Those trips really make a difference even if for only
a brief moment they get to pose for a picture. It’s people like
yourself that help the troops get through another wise difficult day,
month….year and a half! The picture of the two of you with the
signature Diamond Cutter pose, is one of my favorites ……his smile says
it all! I think our family has been in shock and it finally is
starting to sink in …..he’s not coming home..
I also thank you for volunteering your time to speak at our upcoming
Scholarship Fundraiser. We are all looking forward to it and also
meeting you in person. 
Thanks for all the support, especially to Carol and Kate…. It has made all the difference!
Sincerely,

Scott Simpson
I hope this email helps you understand just how important these young men and women are who put their lives on the line for US on a daily basis. Hero’s everyone of them. This is going to be a very emotional trip for me. I will fill you in when I get home.
Get Healthy... Stay Strong... Be Unstoppable and Do your YRG or else!
Live Life at 90%
DDP

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