It is Monday and time for yet another edition of my weekly mumblings.
It is Memorial Day weekend, the official kick off of summer and the weather in Northern California is perfect for a barbecue. The day was designed as one of reflection upon those who have sacrificed themselves for the greater good of this country.
The actions of the politicians in sending these men and women into various hot spots around the world should always be a subject of healthy debate. However, the service of those in uniform should be commended.
As football fans, we tend to view each game as a life or death struggle and use militaristic terms to describe the action. However, in the end both teams shake hands and go home to their families.
I was going through some of my old papers and effects and found an article that I wrote in the sports column (One Sports Voice) I wrote in high school that seemed rather fitting for today. (Egads, I am about to show my age here.)
Here it is retyped in its entirety:
Super Bowl XXV provided a pleasant distraction from horror of Operation Desert Storm
During the week previous to Super Bowl XX people had their eyes on the news and their hearts in Saudi Arabia with our fighting men and women. At 3.15 Pacific standard Time on January 27, over ten million people switched their attention frin Cable News Network’s continuous coverage of “Operation Desert Storm” to ABC’s live coverage of the Super Bowl.
The ‘battle’ between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants provided a pleasant diversion from the horror of war. We turned from the censored half-truths coming to us in the form of news reports brought to us by Peter Arnett, Arther Kent, Bernard Shaw among others to Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Daan Dierdorf. We listened as the later described to us a different kind of war, one that is not about killing, but about getting a touchdown. Where blitzes try to stop a man from throwing a ball instead of taking over an entire nation, and a bomb is to make yardage instead of destroy buildings and equipment.
As the game wore on, people began to forget, at least for a while, that American troops were risking their lives in the bleak desert thousands of miles away. At halftime we were treated to a news update by Tom Brokaw pre-empting a half time show featuring New Kids on the Block.
Brokaw’s report was a mixed blessing because it brought back the reality of the war, but it it did save us from having to watch the New Kids. The report was informative in talking about the types of land mines that Saddam Hussein has in his arsenal including the ones the United Stats had sold him.
As Scott Norwood lined up for his final scoring opportunity, all eyes focused on the ball sailing outside the uprights. Following this, everyone -for better or worse- went back to Saudi Arabia and the types of bombs and blitzes that kill.
Originally published in the San Lorenzo High School Rebel Record February, 1991
Wow, I do feel old.
****
Former Raider running back Napoleon McCallum served in the Navy before wearing the Silver and Black.
The Raiders drafted McCallum in the fourth round of the 1986 draft after he starred at the US Naval academy. Under the rules in place at the time of his draft, he was able to play in the NFL that year. As a rookie he rushed for 536 yards in 15 games. Following that season, the navy changed their policy and he had to suspend his NFL career to finish serving his five year stint.
He returned to the Raiders and played in 59 games before a horrific injury ended his career. He would only have 254 yards in the five years he played after his service, but was an important piece of their special teams.
McCallum’s career ended abruptly when Ken Norton, Jr tackled him on a kickoff during the 1994 season opener in San Francisco. McCallum’s cleat stuck in the Candlestick turf and Norton brought him to the ground and it hyper-extended his knee. This injury ruptured an artery, tore three ligaments, tore the calf muscle and hamstring from the bone, and damaged the knee cartilage.
McCallum served both the US Nation and the Raider Nation with Pride and Poise, and we thank you.
*****
On behalf of Levi and Bret, TFDS extends gratitude to all those in service to our country, and we wish all of our readers an enjoyable holiday.
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