The Army-Navy Game; What it means to America
With all the political vitriol, division, and uncertainty facing our country today, if the average American wants to see what is right with America, turn on the Army-Navy football game this weekend. Not only is it the premier football game on TV for the weekend, with ESPN’s Game Day outside the stadium, the pageantry includes a march-on by the entire Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen, the return of the “exchange” cadets and midshipmen, and a combined Glee Club singing our National Anthem. Commonly referred to as “America’s Game”, you will often see among the fans in attendance the President of the United States, numerous senior Congressional legislators, cabinet members, and the most senior leadership within the entire Army and Navy. You’ll see two teams that will play their hearts out, who will lay it on the line for their Academy brothers and sisters, their school, and most important, you’ll see the senior football players who almost all will play their last game, only to join the many who have gone before them to stand in the gap between the evil that threatens our Nation and the American people. Their next game is not on some football field someplace; it is with a Kevlar helmet, body armor, and an M4 rifle in some God-forsaken place in our world, protecting what our Nation stands for.
Every profession has a client, and in the profession of arms, our client is the American people. There is also a unique relationship with the client – one that is built on trust, which is a function of both competence and character. In other words, if the American people were to trust their military, they would unequivocally demand that their military is competent, and they would use lethal force consistent within the values of our nation and our military.
I recall during the Vietnam era; the military did not have a trusted relationship with their client, the American people. I was a West Point cadet at the time, and experienced jarring comments, criticism, hatred, and even had people spit at me for wearing a military uniform. Whenever I left the West Point grounds, I would immediately go to the closest public bathroom, and quickly change into civilian clothes. Unfortunately, my military haircut always gave away that I was in the military, and I did all I could to grow my hair as long as possible without getting demerits for an “unauthorized haircut”.
Over the last 40 years, a lot of that has changed, and for a number of reasons, the military has enjoyed a more trusted relation with the American people. Quite often a military member, or veteran, will hear, “Thank-you for your service”. When I hear that, it means to me that they are not only grateful, but they trust us; that we will use lethal force to protect America, and do so within the values of our Nation and our military.
So, what does all this have to do with the Army-Navy game? Quite simply, when America puts boots on the ground in harm’s way, America does not expect us to go out there to “do our best”, or to “look good”. They expect us to go out there and WIN, and to win within the values of our Nation and our military. And when they see Army and Navy football players playing with incredible intensity, with discipline, toughness and grit, laying it on the line for each other, they do not necessarily see college football players playing a tough football game, they see the future leaders of our Army and our Navy who will lead their own sons and daughters into harm’s way, and to fight with the same grit and toughness in the crucible of combat, and to do so within the character that defines our nation.
I remember the 9 December 2017 Army-Navy game, when Army defeated Navy and won the Commander-in-Chief trophy for the first time in over 20 years in the middle of an east coast blizzard, in a game that was decided on the very last play of the game. The game was ranked as one of the top 10 collegiate football games watched that entire year. True that Army prevailed and won the game. But what was probably most important to our Nation and to the American people, was that America witnessed an incredibly tough, gritty, fully emotional game, where both Army and Navy played with incredible tenacity and discipline. Surely America saw an Army victory; but what was more important than wins or losses was that America also saw its future Army and Navy leaders of our military, and America had to be pleased knowing these football players are our military leaders in the future years ahead. They had to know our country is in good hands if these are the men who will lead our Nation in the most challenging and difficult times. In other words, America’s trust and confidence in our military’s leadership could not be stronger as was best demonstrated on the “fields of friendly strife” that snowy Saturday afternoon.
Besides the Service Academy’s commitment to this game, our military members are emotionally tied to this annual competition as well. Our Army stands shoulder to shoulder with our Naval colleagues 364 days a year. But on this special day, the antics, pranks, and spirited competition are innovative ways to raise excitement and partiality towards their team. I have been both the innovator and the recipient of many Army-Navy pranks, and have enjoyed my own competition with my Navy colleagues as each of us would generate excitement for the game. This is especially emotional while on deployment, as it seems, services go all-out to disadvantage their “other service” colleagues prior to the game itself. Of course, all this is in fun, but it shows how tremendously impactful the Army – Navy game is to all of the military and all of America. And if you want to see one of the best spirit videos of all Army-Navy rivalry videos, I am sure you will enjoy this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqXBoBy113Y
If the average American wants to see what is right with America, turn on the Army-Navy football game this coming Saturday. And let me sign off for now with my own partiality – Go Army – Beat Navy!
Bob Caslen
LTG, U.S. Army (Retired)
59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, West Point
