Top Army brass happy with Giants’ win
February 6th, 2012 | Army Football | Posted by Phil Creed
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin hugs Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The New York Giants have friends in high places in the U.S. Army.
Despite his resemblance to Fireman Ed, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is actually a Giants big fan, having attended practices and talked to the team over the years. The general is friends with Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, and the two even traded texts in the week prior to the big game. And as you can see in the picture above, Odierno made the trip to Indianpolis to see the Giants’ come-from-behind 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots.
Odierno isn’t the only Army 4-star happy about the Giants victory. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey sounded off on Twitter in support of New York (twice) last week.
Marines, sailors take in Super Bowl at sea
February 6th, 2012 | Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Maj. Doug Baker, a Patriots fan from Roxbury, Conn., reacts while watching the Super Bowl in the officer's wardroom aboard the USS Wasp. (Mike Morones/Staff)
ABOARD THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP WASP -– If you’re going to watch your favorite NFL team lose in the Super Bowl, it may as well be somewhere interesting.
That’s the scenario I found myself in last night as I continue to cover Bold Alligator 2012, a massive amphibious exercise involving at least 14,000 personnel and 25 ships off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia. Like many of the sailors and Marines aboard this gator ship, I had accepted there was a strong possibility the game wouldn’t be on while underway –- only to find out the exact opposite.
Not only did the Wasp have the Super Bowl, the ship’s leadership went out of its way to make sure as many people as possible could see it. From the wardroom, to the barber shop, to the mess deck, several thousand personnel took a break to watch the game, in which the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, 21-17.
The liveliest place to view the game was the hangar bay. A movie theater screen and hundreds of chairs were set up, and Marines and sailors turned it into a concert-like environment in which the game and the commercials alike received howling cheers and boos.
The crowd was polarized when it came to sports, with any close-up shot of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady or Giants quarterback Eli Manning receiving a loud, mixed response. It was less so when it came to the commercials, as the raucous response to a new ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth showed. It depicted a tall, exotic woman flirting with a short, awkward man – until he realized he was simply daydreaming. The Marines and sailors howled.
In the ward room, dozens of officers aboard gathered over chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, coffee and soda to watch the game on two big-screen TVs. Several foreign officers asked questions about the rules of American football, and U.S. personnel cheerfully explained.
As a Massachusetts native, I took all this in with a red Patriots T-shirt poking out from underneath my half-zipped fleece. A few people noticed, but no one poked fun. They understood the draw of the game.
In the hangar bay, Lance Cpl. T.J. Miller, 20, told me he found out he’d be involved in Bold Alligator two days before the ships launched earlier this month. A Patriots fan, he assumed he’d miss the game for the second year in a row.
“They told me two days before, ‘Pack your stuff. You’re going,’ and I thought it was possible I’d miss it,” the CH-53 mechanic said. “The signal has gone out twice for about 30 seconds, but if it happens again I’ll go see what happens in the mess deck.”
Ah, the signal. Late in the game, it did go out again. Shortly after Giants receiver Mario Manningham reeled in a spectacular sideline grab that put New York in position to win the game, the screens on board went dark.
“Are you kidding me!” several Marines and sailors yelled in the mess deck, frustrated with the timing.
The signal came back a few moments later, and stayed true through the end of the game. When Giants running back fell into the end zone with the game-winning score with about a minute to play, much of the hanger bay exploded into cheers.
Brady’s last desperation heave into the endzone fell to the ground a few minutes later, and Giants fans on board erupted. A sailor began blowing a whistle as though it were a musical instrument, and a group of Marines and sailors began jumping up and down in celebration.
Lance Cpl. Alex Ovide, 23, was one of the most boisterous. An amphibious assault vehicle crewman from Queens, N.Y., he’ll be involved in the amphibious unfolding over the next few days, but was glad to watch the game. He missed it last year while he was in the field, he said, and didn’t know the Wasp would have the game until it was already underway.
“I was just hoping to get a phone call out and find out the score,” Ovide said. “There was a rumor mill at first that we’d be able to see it, and then it came together.”
The result of the game, Ovide said, was “simply beautiful.” He congratulated the Patriots on a great season, knowing that I was a fan.
“This was great,” he said. “All of us came together, and all of the branches of service on board, too. It’s something you can really appreciate.”
I couldn’t agree more. Other than the final score, of course.
Titans owner hosting GIs at Super Bowl
February 5th, 2012 | After Action Army Football | Posted by Sean Smyth
Titans head coach Mike Munchak signs autographs for Fort Campbell soldiers after a training camp practice in Nashville on Aug. 18. The Titans invited 250 soldiers to come and watch practice. (Mark Humphrey / The Associated Press)
Here’s a classy move: Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is recognizing soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., and he’s hosting some of them at today’s Super Bowl.
Thirty-three Campbell GIs took off early today and made the 300-mile trip to Indy.
Medal of Honor recipient Sal Giunta honored at Super Bowl
February 7th, 2011 | After Action Army Football | Posted by Chris Kelly
Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta was honored last night during the third quarter of the Super Bowl. The Medal of Honor recipient stood alone at one end zone causing the crowd to erupt once his image hit the big screen.
Here’s video of his appearance.
Watch the SecDef’s Super Bowl message
February 5th, 2011 | Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Gates concluded with a few anti-Steelers remarks in the first take of this video, but the flacks convinced him to be bipartisan. That’s my dream, anyway.
Super Hornets get nod for Super Bowl flyover
January 28th, 2011 | Navy | Posted by Mike Hoffman
An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 launches from the deck of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2007. // U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman David Danals
If a fighter jet flies over a $1.2 billion stadium, but no one in the stadium can see it; does that fighter jet make a sound?
Well, of course it does, it’s a mother bleeping fighter jet, but many are left wondering why the Navy is flying four F/A-18 Super Hornets over this year’s Super Bowl if stadium officials have already said Cowboys Stadium’s roof will be closed for the game.
Sure, the schmucks — or lucky bastards, however you see it — who paid a minimum of $600 for a seat will get to see the fly over on Jerry World’s big screens, but that’s just not the same, right? Just another reason why it pays to stay home rather than travel out to these games.
The Super Hornets are assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 and the pilots come from Strike Fighter Squadrons 83, 131, 103 and 143, according to our friends over at Navy Times’ The Scoop Deck.
Operation Watch Super Bowl
March 16th, 2010 | Afghanistan | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Staff Sgt. Marshall Fitzgerald grew up in Hattiesburg, Miss. Although it might be blasphemy in those parts to cheer against Brett Favre, he is a life long New Orleans Saints fan.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MIZAN, Afghanistan -– Staff Sgt. Marshall Fitzgerald grew up in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a die hard New Orleans Saints fan. When the Saints finally marched into the Super Bowl, he was all set to watch quarterback Drew Brees pick apart Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts.
One problem. He is stationed in Afghanistan. FOB Bullard in the Zabul Province had a TV with Armed Forces Network, but the night of the Super Bowl a blizzard cut out the signal.
Panic set in. He raced to the computer in his room and had his wife set up the web cam in front of the TV, which he was able to watch via Yahoo Messenger. It might have had about a three minute delay, but he was able to watch Saints coach Sean Payton hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
For those deployed without a TV signal, Fitzgerald’s outside-of-the-box thinking might be of help for those wanting to watch the NCAA Tournament over the next couple weeks.
Eckel done in New Orleans?
March 4th, 2010 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Navy star running back Kyle Eckel won a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints last month, but it appears the restricted free agent might be done in the Big Easy.
The Saints have not tendered an offer to the fullback, who was signed during the season to replace injured starter Heath Evans. According to Jeff Evans of the Times Picayune, “it looks as though the club is not interested in bringing back” Eckel, who is one of only four restricted free agents not tendered an offer by the Saints. Meanwhile, New Orleans has signed an another free agent fullback for a bargain price, which is probably another sign the team will be moving in a diffferent direction.
The Saints rarely used a fullback during their playoff run, though Eckel did see a good deal of snaps in the team’s playoff victory over Arizona. He was also in on a failed third-and-goal running play (but made a solid block) on the second-quarter drive where the Colts stopped the Saints on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Kicked out of the Navy in 2006, Eckel has played for four teams since his military commitment abruptly ended — Miami, New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans. His younger brother Kevin is now attending the Naval Academy and playing football.
Many troops saw Super Bowl, but no commercials
February 9th, 2010 | Haiti Marine Corps | Posted by Dan Lamothe
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl XLIV against Indianapolis on Sunday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
So, what was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? The bizarre Denny’s chickens freaking out? The Megan Fox lovefest? The increasingly bizarre Bud Light commercials that air every year?
Plenty of U.S. service members were unable to watch the game Sunday night due to operational commitments, but even those who did in many cases missed the commercials, which have their own little place in American culture.
Take the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which returned to its ships after completing earthquake relief work in Haiti and watched the game on Armed Forces Network, which airs public service announcements instead of rotting brains by airing commercials featuring flying Dorito ninja stars.
The MEU, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., posted semi-frantic updates on Facebook and Twitter about their quest to watch the game. First came this at 5:17 p.m. Sunday:
USS Nassau resupply complete – Marines and Sailors hoing signal comes back so we can watch Super Bowl
“Well, good for you guys!” supporters said. Then came this update at 6:30 — kickoff time.
So we have a signal!!!
Bingo! Good news! And then came another update that many civilians wouldn’t have expected at 7:23 p.m.:
Worst part of the SUper Bowl on ship – we don’t get to see any of the real commercials
Capt. Robert Shuford, a spokesman deployed with the unit, confirmed all those details in an e-mail to AfterAction.
“AFN does not play commercials but fills that time with different types of public service announcements,” he said.
The Super Bowl, it stands to reason, is probably the one piece of programming all year in which troops might actually miss watching the advertisements. On the upside, the MEU did post this update on Facebook after someone asked them if they sang along with The Who, who performed during halftime.
We did get to sing, and powerslide – Alot of Marines and Sailors are participating in ship’s activities for game
AF vet hoping to help Saints win trophy named after grandfather
February 5th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, right, works with quarterbacks Mark Brunell, center, and Drew Brees, left, during practice Feb. 4. Lombardi played football for the Air Force Academy in the 1990s. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Turns out the Air Force Academy has a connection to the Super Bowl XLIV.
Former Air Force officer Joe Lombardi is the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints. Lombardi played tight end and was a three-time letter winner at the Air Force Academy. He graduated in 1994 and began his coaching career two years later at the University of Dayton while he was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force base, according to a USA TODAY column.
The most interesting part of Lombardi’s story, however, is his connection to the trophy that the Saints and Colts are playing for Sunday. Joe Lombardi is the grandson of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. The fact that a family Lombardi family member has a chance to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy is obviously one of the most unique aspects of Sunday’s game, and it’s been one of the biggest stories this week.