Tom Nicholas
Cogito Ergo Sum
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2018
- Messages
- 88
On a nice fall Saturday in 2017 we visited the USNA and made a full day of it. It just happened to be Air Force @ Navy football day.
My son and I arrived in Annapolis early in the morning and walked the town just outside the campus. If you've never been, it's quite a treat- many little shops, quaint restaurants, and awesomely pro-Navy. We saw lots of Mids walking about, many of them with their visiting parents. And we saw many Air Force vets and fans proudly sporting their gear. Everyone was happy and there was electricity in the air. We even helped some Air Force fans take a picture in front of a USNA gate/sign, heartily shook their hands, and offered them "the best of luck the very next time you play Army." They laughed.
One of the things we like is that USNA has Saturday campus tours- which means we didn't have to miss a day of school to visit. The tour guides are engaging, funny, and of course knowledgeable on the full history of the academy as well as current day happenings. We enjoyed hearing the story of the statue of Tecumseh and why one might see a penny or two near it, taking the side entrance on the way to visit solemn Memorial Hall, learning of the Midshipmen events at Dahlgren Hall, and witnessing the beauty of the chapel and crypt of John Paul Jones below.
And on our way to exit the campus we noticed something else special yet important. There's a good-sized blue sign with gold letters above the gate going out. It reads, "Return With Honor." The ten minute walk to the stadium gave us time to discuss its many meanings.
The game itself was amazing. We bought the tickets on StubHub and it was a right-place, right-time thing. They were front-row, lower-level, 45 yard line, and face value. Usually when I search tickets, people on Stub Hub are asking much more than face value. However, these tickets arrived via mail with a nice note hand-written in shaky letters which I could only imagine came from a older veteran alum who couldn't make it. He wished us a great time at the game. I was humbled.
I've seen a lot of good games, even played in some exciting ones, but this was one of the best ever. Navy jumped out to a nice lead and everyone was partying in the stands. At half time, some Mids walked into our section to visit with their parents and we chatted up a group of three or four- asking where they were from, their year, their academic major, why they chose USNA, and what they liked most about attending here. They were the most sharp, most polite, happy bunch of young adults you'd ever meet.
In the stands, there were two retired Marine pilots sitting right behind us who looked fit enough to suit up if needed and they were whooping it up too. My son's eyes were big-- we were witnessing big-man, leave it all on the field, 50,000 patriots cheering football. Somehow, Air Force clawed their way back into it with 1:53 left in the game taking a 45-41 lead. And in that one moment, half the air left he stadium.
I nudged my son, "Look at them. Just look. What are they doing? Are they looking down? Are they bent over gasping for air or our of hope?"
"No," he said. "They're drawing on some kind of a marker board. They're up to something..."
I said, "That's right. When you get knocked down, you get up. You make a new plan with your friends and you rally."
Navy got the ball, drove the length of the field, and with just 17 seconds left, Zach Abey hit Tyler Carmona with a strike right down the middle. There was complete pandemonium as the stadium rocked.
After a few minutes, a calmness resumed and it was time to sing alma maters. Air Force went first with the Navy team standing on their side of the field respectfully. And then they all walked over to the brigade side where Navy sang second. It's hard to describe; really hard. In those fleeting moments waves of emotion overcome you. You're happy Navy won, you're happy you were able to witness it with family and fans, and the final wave of emotion hits you that these young men and women are preparing to support and defend each other, us, our constitution- everything that matters.
If you would like to see some highlights of the game, the link is below:
We're putting $50/month into an envelope for Army/Navy this year. Saturday, December 12th is my wife's birthday and that's what she wants. I'm startin to think I got lucky- but don't tell her I wrote this.
My son and I arrived in Annapolis early in the morning and walked the town just outside the campus. If you've never been, it's quite a treat- many little shops, quaint restaurants, and awesomely pro-Navy. We saw lots of Mids walking about, many of them with their visiting parents. And we saw many Air Force vets and fans proudly sporting their gear. Everyone was happy and there was electricity in the air. We even helped some Air Force fans take a picture in front of a USNA gate/sign, heartily shook their hands, and offered them "the best of luck the very next time you play Army." They laughed.
One of the things we like is that USNA has Saturday campus tours- which means we didn't have to miss a day of school to visit. The tour guides are engaging, funny, and of course knowledgeable on the full history of the academy as well as current day happenings. We enjoyed hearing the story of the statue of Tecumseh and why one might see a penny or two near it, taking the side entrance on the way to visit solemn Memorial Hall, learning of the Midshipmen events at Dahlgren Hall, and witnessing the beauty of the chapel and crypt of John Paul Jones below.
And on our way to exit the campus we noticed something else special yet important. There's a good-sized blue sign with gold letters above the gate going out. It reads, "Return With Honor." The ten minute walk to the stadium gave us time to discuss its many meanings.
The game itself was amazing. We bought the tickets on StubHub and it was a right-place, right-time thing. They were front-row, lower-level, 45 yard line, and face value. Usually when I search tickets, people on Stub Hub are asking much more than face value. However, these tickets arrived via mail with a nice note hand-written in shaky letters which I could only imagine came from a older veteran alum who couldn't make it. He wished us a great time at the game. I was humbled.
I've seen a lot of good games, even played in some exciting ones, but this was one of the best ever. Navy jumped out to a nice lead and everyone was partying in the stands. At half time, some Mids walked into our section to visit with their parents and we chatted up a group of three or four- asking where they were from, their year, their academic major, why they chose USNA, and what they liked most about attending here. They were the most sharp, most polite, happy bunch of young adults you'd ever meet.
In the stands, there were two retired Marine pilots sitting right behind us who looked fit enough to suit up if needed and they were whooping it up too. My son's eyes were big-- we were witnessing big-man, leave it all on the field, 50,000 patriots cheering football. Somehow, Air Force clawed their way back into it with 1:53 left in the game taking a 45-41 lead. And in that one moment, half the air left he stadium.
I nudged my son, "Look at them. Just look. What are they doing? Are they looking down? Are they bent over gasping for air or our of hope?"
"No," he said. "They're drawing on some kind of a marker board. They're up to something..."
I said, "That's right. When you get knocked down, you get up. You make a new plan with your friends and you rally."
Navy got the ball, drove the length of the field, and with just 17 seconds left, Zach Abey hit Tyler Carmona with a strike right down the middle. There was complete pandemonium as the stadium rocked.
After a few minutes, a calmness resumed and it was time to sing alma maters. Air Force went first with the Navy team standing on their side of the field respectfully. And then they all walked over to the brigade side where Navy sang second. It's hard to describe; really hard. In those fleeting moments waves of emotion overcome you. You're happy Navy won, you're happy you were able to witness it with family and fans, and the final wave of emotion hits you that these young men and women are preparing to support and defend each other, us, our constitution- everything that matters.
If you would like to see some highlights of the game, the link is below:
We're putting $50/month into an envelope for Army/Navy this year. Saturday, December 12th is my wife's birthday and that's what she wants. I'm startin to think I got lucky- but don't tell her I wrote this.