The NFL and the Military

A few weeks ago on my Facebook page, I made one of my almost daily professions of love for the New England Patriots and their quarterback.  The responses were the standard, asking me if I would leave my wife for Tom Brady, telling me the defense was terrible and similar things.  One comment though stuck out to me.  A very strong troop supporter stated that he wouldn’t watch pro sports because they were all complaining multi-millionaires, and that his true heroes were the men and women who serve our country.  As I told that commenter then, while I agreed with the spirit of his comment, the NFL, along with the other professional sports, has been really good to veterans and Active Duty folk, and they should be acknowledged for it.

My first brush with the NFL from the military side was a Washington Redskins game against the Seattle Seahawks the first weekend of November in 2001.  This was right after the 9/11 attacks, and the Redskins had called up asking for a veteran of each war to represent their conflict by standing on the field for the introductions of the players, the coin flip and the National Anthem.  Somewhat surprisingly they couldn’t find a Bosnia-Herzegovina veteran on short notice, so I got the call up.  Despite being a Pats fan, I was happy to go.

The one thing I remember most clear about that day is meeting Penn State and Redskin great LaVar Arrington.  As the team ran out on to the field, the players congregated in the middle and waited on the rest of their teammates.  Not LaVar.  He ran through the gauntlet of cheerleaders, and immediately peeled off and came and shook every veteran’s hand.  It was a personal gesture that honestly touched me, because it seemed so genuine.

When I deployed to Afghanistan, I served as the RTO for a unit that was taking over QRF (Quick Reaction Force) duties from a Marine Unit.  Although enlisted, I was one of the guys who they assigned to do the right-seat ride with the unit there.  I ended up spending the day with a young Marine Lieutenant with a familiar name.  I didn’t really want to bring it up, but I couldn’t help myself, and sure enough, he was related to the family.  Lt. Tagliabue was the nephew of the NFL Commissioner.  We spent the day talking football and whether Condoleezza Rice would take his famous uncles job.

A few months later the Pat Tillman USO Center was dedicated on Bagram Airfield, and since it was near where I was, I wandered over to show my support.  And that was when I got to meet legendary running back Warrick Dunn, and my special teams hero, former Patriot Larry Izzo.  I had always loved his work with the Pats (3 time all-pro, 3 time Super Bowl champion) but his charitable endeavors are what make him even more special that his on-field ability.  He started up "Karaoke with Larry Izzo and the New England Patriots” and with folks like the aforementioned Mr. Brady, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for military related charities.  Larry discusses it on his website:

In early 2005, after the Patriots beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl and my third trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, I had the honor of visiting our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was an unbelievable journey for me with memories that will stay with me forever.

I made a promise to our Troops that I would never forget them, fulfilling a commitment I had made in my father’s memory. Larry, Sr., my father, graduated from West Point in 1967 and retired as a full Colonel in 1990 after 23 years in the military. He passed away on October 25, 2003, and as a tribute to my wonderful father and the influence he had on my life, I have always wanted to do something to help the families of our American Troops.

 

As a first step, I’ve decided to host an annual event with my New England Patriot teammates. All proceeds will go to the families of American Troops who have died in combat, and to those American Veterans left disabled as a result of their military service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The last time the Pats and Giants played in the Super Bowl, the powers of darkness won the honorary co-captain of the Giants was a man named Greg Gadson, a LTC in the Army.

His name is Lt. Col. Greg Gadson and he used to wear No. 98 for the Army football team and was with the Second Battalion and 32nd Field Artillery, on his way back from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade when he lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Bahgdad. It was the night of May 7, 2007, and Lt. Col. Gadson didn't know it at the time because he couldn't possibly have known, but it was the beginning of a journey that brought him to Lambeau Field Sunday night.

 

He was there as an honorary co-captain of the Giants, there on the sideline at Lambeau because this Giants' season has become his season now and he wasn't going to watch from some box. This is a Giant at the Super Bowl worth knowing about, as much as any of them.

Gadson would later earn The American Legion’s Patriot Award.  (Rather ironic, no?)

This year's winner, who collected his award in Minneapolis Aug. 30, is Col. Greg Gadson, director of the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2), and a life member of the Legion.

 

Gadson, like all too many of his fellow soldiers, was severely wounded in Iraq. He lost both legs above the knee and suffered permanent nerve damage in his right arm when he was hit by an IED in 2007. His recovery attracted the attention of many, including the New York Giants, who drew inspiration from him during their miracle run to the Super Bowl in 2008. He chose to take on AW2 rather than retire from the service as a result of his injuries.

Week before last, Texas Tech Raider and Patriots wide receiver extraordinaire Wes Welker sent out a simple tweet to his followers on twitter:

So @Gillette has given me 2 tix to the game this weekend. To support #thewelker83. Tell me y u deserve these tickets!

 Retired Air Force veteran and New England fan Joseph "JP" Peloquin has never sent out a tweet, in fact, he’d only signed up to follow Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Welker.  And so his first tweet ever was a response to Welker:

  @WesWelker I've kept pace with the Pats through 20 years of military service all over the world. Yes, even in Iraq...

As a story in an Air Force magazine relays it….

 Content with having joined Twitter -- not even certain he had sent off his first tweet correctly -- Peloquin went to bed thinking he had no shot at the tickets given Welker's 200,000 plus followers.

That is until his phone rang at 11:30 p.m. with WHDH-TV Channel 7 News calling to congratulate him. This began a whirlwind few days of interviews that culminated in watching his favorite team with his 14 year-old daughter, Morgan, beat the Ravens for the American Football Conference championship.

"I thought it was a joke," said Peloquin, referring to the late phone call. "I got up to check to see for myself and, sure enough, he had tweeted me back telling me I had won two tickets to the AFC championship game."

I emailed with JP last week, and he and his daughter had an unbelievable time at the game.  All because of Wes Welker.

And just last year, another Patriot Alum, Tedy Bruschi, would join former NFL Head Coach Jeff Fisher and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Chad Lewis in climbing Mt. Killamanjaro with 4 troops from the Wounded Warrior Project.  As CBS Boston noted,

Disappointed he couldn’t take part in an NFL USO tour to Afghanistan, Bruschi had told league officials to keep him in mind for future projects. When he got the call a few months ago, “it was just something I couldn’t pass up.”

Bruschi would talk about his experience, and the meaning of Team:

As we were about to summit, we saw the rest of Team Hard Target waiting for us, waiting to summit as a team. Team. You can have one in football or climbing a mountain. That word -- team -- transcends sports.

We finished the final 50 yards together and everyone rejoiced. We congratulated each other and everyone embraced. This was a lifetime achievement and we all understood that.

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This week the relationship between the NFL and Troops is as clear as could be.  Tomorrow night here in Indy, wounded heroes with prosthesis will be playing against NFL stars in a flag football game to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Amputees. 

Former NFL quarterback Jeff George still loves football, and on Feb. 1, he returns to the field.  This time, he said, it’s for a cause greater than the sport. And this time, it’s flag football rather than tackle.

The Indianapolis native will be in his hometown a few days before the city hosts the 2012 Super Bowl — to lead a team of military service members against a team of former NFL players.

There’s something else special about George’s teammates:  As members of the Wounded Warrior Amputees team, all have lost limbs while serving their country. All have worked hard, however, to stay in top shape as athletes despite their injuries…

Besides George, other NFL players committed to playing are Rocky Bleier, Ken Dilger, Jerry Kramer, Jack Youngblood, Bill Romanowski, Jim Sorgi, Bill Brooks, Gary Padjen, Cato June, Barry Krauss, Devon McDonald. Several other players and current Colts will be in attendance.

I’ll be headed over there, and hopefully I can score a few interviews.

IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN THE INDY AREA, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ATTENDING THIS EVENT: