Amanda & Teryl inspect an F 16
Amanda on the set of SG1
Amanda's Combat Bracelet
When Amanda Tapping, who plays US Air Force Major Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-1, left Vancouver in mid-December 2001, she had no idea where she was going or who she was meeting. Contracted with fellow cast members from the hit series SG-1 [Teryl Rothery, Don S. Davis and Christopher Judge] - to take part in the USO's "Operation Starflight" - all she knew was that they would encounter Allied troops heading to the Middle East who were stationed there in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"For safety reasons," says the actress, "we didn't know exactly where we were going, although we were confident that wherever our destination was, we wouldn't be in danger."
Safely back in Vancouver, Amanda reflected on the journey with great pride and tremendous respect for the men and women stationed in the area. She and her colleagues were asked not to disclose the destinations visited. Amanda readily complied with this request, stating only that the group of "brave men and women lay near the combat area.
Amanda and her Stargate SG-1 co-stars were only in the region for a few days, but that didn't stop her from quickly forging bonds with those she met along the way. "A couple of US soldiers I met showed me that," she explains, pointing with enormous pride to a braided cloth bracelet on her right arm, secured in place by a khaki button.
"Each member of this special unit wears one of these. They are called 'combat bands,' and the troops make them from the strings that attach to the hems of their pant legs to hold them in their boots, and then each is given a Button attached at the start of each mission. Each member of the unit gives a button from their own uniform for another sidekick's armband. Members of the unit make the armbands at the start of each mission and wear them until the mission is complete and each member has returned safely. "
"It's a very moving tradition," says Amanda, "and I was very honored to be included in their ranks." Returning to the set of the SG-1 production, her first stop was the wardrobe department, where she explained to costume designer Christina McQuarrie that "Samantha Carter was going to be wearing an accessory for the foreseeable future." Christina thought that was great," recalls Amanda. "I explained the circumstances surrounding the real-life tradition, and she agreed that wearing the bracelet is exactly what Carter would do. I've worn it ever since - both in front of the camera and behind it."
The show executives weren't thrilled about that, but Amanda didn't care in this case. "I would have tucked it under my sleeve if needed, but there is no way I am taking off this bracelet until this mission is complete. These men and women are risking their lives for our freedom and security. This is the least I can do."
Amanda wore this bracelet for about two and a half years and never took it off. Eventually she had to part with it as it literally fell apart.