I felt compelled to go ahead and post today this week. With the Capitol Memorial Day Concert still resonating in my soul since last night, I want to offer my sincere thanks for all of our servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom. The emphasis during the concert last night was on the 60’s (the Beach Boys did a medley of their hits!!!) and the Vietnam War era. That’s MY era!! I was one of the fortunate ones who was training at Ft. Gordon, GA but President Nixon started pulling troops out of Vietnam and back home so they didn’t need me. Anytime they show the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in D.C. I shed some tears— and some guilt. “Survivor’s guilt” I guess they call it. I didn’t have anyone close to me die over there but… the fact that so many others did give their lives still bothers me today 50 years later.
I went to Walmart on Saturday. There were 2 veterans outside the store presenting “poppies” to anyone who’d make a donation to the VFW. It showed me how God is working in my life… cuz I’d awakened earlier thinking about the Memorial Day parades I attended as a child and… yep! the little paper poppies we used to get. And here I had one in my hand as I entered Walmart.
We are traveling to France in the fall. I get to stand on the beach at Normandy and see what those gallant men faced when they stormed ashore on June 6, 1944. We will also visit the National Cemetery where my uncle is buried. He parachuted in with the 82nd Airborne the night before D Day. He died on June 21st holding off Nazi’s so his platoon could escape. Several members of my family have been to his grave site; I look forward to my first visit in the fall.
How does this all relate to football?! Welllllllllll…. there’s NO WAY that we can compare what soldiers and Marines go through on the battlefield to football players competing on Friday night. NO comparison! However, there are lessons that athletes can learn from the military which can help them succeed on the playing field and in life.
I love the tactical side of football. I believe I’ve mentioned before on this site about the book War Fighting by Marine General Gray. A coach looking for strategic and tactical tips on how to game plan and then attack opponents’ defenses will find this little book fascinating! I highly recommend it to all head coaches/offensive coordinators.
