Fair Weather Friends
11 11 2007I watched the jousting of the Knights - Scarlet vs. Black, Rutgers vs. Army - the other night. Not many of Army’s games outside of Army/Navy are televised in my area so when I get the chance to catch a game I make it a point to watch.
The pageantry, the excitement, the cadets in the stands acting out their nervous anticipation, all were familiar to me. Not so familiar was the large structure at one end of the field; the Kimsey Center’s offices overlook one end zone and provide a bird’s eye view of the action in living room comfort. The silhouettes of several onlookers were visible in the windows.
The events after the opening kickoff went poorly for Army and are now the stuff of memory and history. Unfortunately, the disappointment on the field was matched by failure in the stands. The cadets, conspicuous in their gray raincoats, stayed huddled together and were on their feet for the duration of the game. The remainder of the stands, however, emptied faster than an SUV’s gas tank. Even the silhouettes in the creature comfort offices quickly disappeared.
The message to the athletes struggling on the field was clear: Call us when you start winning. And besides, its cold out here and it’s raining.
Sparse stands are symptomatic of a wide margin loss and nobody I know enjoys inclement weather. But this was the United States Military Academy. This was West Point, where the term character takes on a deeper, almost solemn, meaning.
The cadets showed up. Some of them knocked heads on the field, others demonstrated vocal and animated support from the stands. But when it counted, the remainder of the corps’ support ran like the weather’s rivulets off the stadium steps.
Whenever I’m privileged to see the Black Knights play, particularly if it’s a home game, I get the itch to somehow be a part of it. This game was no different. I envied those who were afforded the opportunity to get their posteriors wet on those cold bleachers. I wouldn’t think for a minute that this sentiment isn’t shared by many others and especially by our troops who are deployed far from home, some in hostile lands.
Regardless of the score, the real losers weren’t down on the field Friday night.
~ Dempsey
Interesting parallel to the lack of support by the media, the general public, our elected leaders and some of our military leaders for our folks who are fighting, being maimed and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. Right after 9-11 almost everyone was on board. Now that we have found that this war is going to last a long time, we want no part of it and just want to hit the shopping malls, listen to our Ipods, and generally have a good time.
Fair Weather Friends are better than no friends at all, but it’s not friends that are needed, it’s SUPPORTERS! Friends will come, say “:Go team go” and then lose interest or drift away, no matter the weather. A supporter comes, stays thru thick and thin, continues to say “Go team go” and means it from start to finish. All supporters are friends, but all friends are not supporters. So yeah, the real losers weren’t on the field and weren’t supporters in the stands, they were the friends.
Carry on… TROG55
I hear you Demps. I was there in 2005 for the homecoming game against Central Michigan in the upper stands on a day a hurricane came through. It rained over 12 inches that day. However, this was the first game I saw in Michie since graduating, there was no way I was going to let a few feet of rain chase me from the stadium. Leave before the final cannon? Unthinkable.
The cadets “showed up” because they were forced to show up. There are accountability formations prior to the home games to ensure that all cadets are present and guards are posted at the stadium entrances to ensure that no cadet leaves until the game is over.
To the gentlemen who lamented the lack of support for the war in Iraq and Afganistan … do not confuse lack of support for a dishonest and immoral adminstration for lack of support of the troops in the field. Unfortunately, our troops are deployed in a situation in which they should have never been placed by an adminstration that mislead the Congress and the American people in order to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Hopefully, we have all learned a lesson from this experience.
Thanks to all for your comments; however, this section is not intended as a venue for political debate or prolification of Bush Derangement Syndrome, especially when exercised at the expense of our troops who are performing the back breaking work of defending our country.
~ Dempsey