Army Safety Caleb Campbell - NFL Bound?

[Stan]

It's no mystery that the ARMY produces the best disciplined athletes, bar none. And, we consistently kick the Navy's Alpha every year (even bowling on base ).

But, are these the kind of folks prepared for armed duty we'd like by our side when the Sierra hits the fan ?

Perhaps the Alternative Professional Option is a good idea after all.

Army cadet-athletes now have options to pursue professional athletic opportunities thanks to the U.S. Army’s Alternative Service Option program. If cadet-athletes are accepted into the program, they will owe two years of active service in the Army, during which time they will be allowed to play their sport in the player development systems of their respective organizations and assigned to recruiting stations. If they remain in professional sports following those two years, they will be provided the option of “buying out” the remaining three years of their active-duty commitment in exchange for six years of reserve time.

This reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons in which Bart has a vision of the future. In this vision, Lisa has been elected President and needs to raise taxes due to a budget emergency. Fearing the unpopularity of a tax increase, she decides to call it a “refund adjustment.” “Alternative service” is the same kind of euphemism. Let’s be real, here; playing ball full-time for two years while shaking hands at a couple of recruiting events isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when people think “service.”

[Eden]

I'm an old grad myself, and my first reaction was negative. Even as a dyed-in-the-wool Army football fan, it seems a little distasteful that the institution would prostitute itself for the sake of a few more wins on the field, or that the taxpayers would foot the considerable bill for educating the Falcon's next cornerback. Moreover, there are cadets who are world-class fencers, musicians, etc., who don't get the opportunity to pursue their dreams by getting out of their active duty obligations.

But...I don't think the guys in charge at the Academy have lightly made this program available to athletes, or that they did it simply to win football games. I believe they think this will raise public awareness of the Academy, that winning football actually does increase the quality of the incoming classes and encourages many to apply who might not otherwise have done so, and that it will benefit the Army in the long run. If they are right - and it's a big if in my mind - then it will be worth losing the services of two or three lieutenants every year.

In the 19th century it was not uncommon for Academy grads to go directly into civilian life; the purpose of the Academy was different then, and maybe it's time to rethink its ultimate purpose now.

[Hacksaw]

Eden,
I appreciate your thoughtful response and could nod my head through much of the logic...

- Losing 2-3 2LTs per year will not make a big dent in that year groups population.
- Yes this will raise awareness of the academy.
- Back in the day some grads went straight into civilian life, but its role has changed.

Concur on all... but

- Service to nation as a cornerstone ethic has not changed, and this is, if not a nation, an Military at War.
- Not sure that the awareness this type of attention gains is the image the Academy needs. Unlike pop culture icons, not all publicity is good publicity.
- The Academy has changed, despite its most nostalgic yearnings, it is no longer a hard science institution (sorry AOG). USMA provides a liberal arts education to its graduates - and that is dead on what its graduates require to lead in the contemporary environment.

I am not a wax nostalgic about the good ole traditions of Hudson High, but the last core ethic that the Academy should bend away from is its mission to graduate leaders committed to life of service to the Nation. Some things should remain non-negotiable - this is one.

This policy is a BAD decision.

There is an aporpo saying that you can't blame a dog for being dog... Well you can't blame a 21 yr old for being a 21 yr old, I think Caleb Campbell will regret this decision. The USMA education does not end on Miche Field on a Spring Day, it continues as they struggle to apply the lessons they learned.

Funny, I usually become less riled about a topic as time passes... This one just makes me more disappointed by the hour.

That's really all I have to say about that.

Live well and row

[wm]

There is an aporpo saying that you can't blame a dog for being dog... Well you can't blame a 21 yr old for being a 21 yr old, I think Caleb Campbell will regret this decision. The USMA education does not end on Miche Field on a Spring Day, it continues as they struggle to apply the lessons they learned.

I remember walking by a stone as I walked out of Army home football games on Saturdays (usually after witnessing another drubbing at the hands of some major college power like Cincinnati or Worcester Tech). That stone had a bronze plaque on it with the following quotation from MacArthur:

On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory.

With all of the big time sports infrastructure improvements at USMA around what used to be the greensward called Howze Field (not to mention places like Shea Stadium, Doubleday Field and Target Hill Field (aka North Athletic Field), I wonder if that stone is still there. If it is, I wonder whether the Army Athletic Association (AAA) staff makes use of it to remind its young student atheletes that they are officer candidates first and foremost.
Cadets draw a paycheck and get an education for free because the nation expects them to "provide for the common defense" as the Preamble to the Constitution says.

[Hacksaw]

Agree WM

Just can't figure out why USMA would decide to build a way out for grads... If for no other reason, just the wrong message to send to the Corps

[Cavguy]

In today's New York Times:

"An Officer and a Linebacker for the N.F.L."

“I’ve heard stories about what’s gone on in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Campbell said. “In another sense, the N.F.L. is just as much pressure. You’re out there to take somebody’s job. In terms of coaches can’t cut me? We’re talking about the N.F.L. here. This is a cutthroat business.”

He obviously didn't pay attention at USMA between football practice. Ok, place him in BOLIC and on the next bird to Iraq or Afghanistan.

NFL as tough as combat? Plueeze. If this is the type of statement he will utter for Army recruiting, ship him to the front.

[Tom Odom]

In today's New York Times:

"An Officer and a Linebacker for the N.F.L."



He obviously didn't pay attention at USMA between football practice. Ok, place him in BOLIC and on the next bird to Iraq or Afghanistan.

NFL as tough as combat? Plueeze. If this is the type of statement he will utter for Army recruiting, ship him to the front.

He is just another self-centered ego looking to get paid but with the difference he used a service academy to get set for it.

Withdraw his commission and then send him to Iraq...

Tom

[selil]

I'm sorry because I know my opinion is going to upset some people. I simply feel that any military service academy and any cadet and any service that thinks the NFL is more important than service to the country deserves nothing less than ridicule for the dishonor they have engaged in. Pandering "recruitment" as an excuse for failure to serve as an officer leading troops is an abysmal lie. If you are more worried about your personal ambition of an NFL career then don't burn a seat for a person who wants to be a preeminent military officer and academy graduate. This is an absolute abomination and desecration of people like Roger Staubach who served their country then played a game. Every ring-knocker should be ashamed. I thought the academies were becoming more about service and commitment to an ideal of patriotism and self sacrifice. Every time I meet an academy graduate I now get to ask them, "Couldn't make it in the NFL huh?" I don't care if some Pentagon rat changed the rule, I expected more from the participants, and have been horribly disappointed.

I guess Semper Fidelis only counts if you're enlisted or ROTC graduate. Oh, wait wrong service.

[RTK]

In today's New York Times:

"An Officer and a Linebacker for the N.F.L."



He obviously didn't pay attention at USMA between football practice. Ok, place him in BOLIC and on the next bird to Iraq or Afghanistan.

NFL as tough as combat? Plueeze. If this is the type of statement he will utter for Army recruiting, ship him to the front.

He branched ADA (I looked it up). I would have LOVED to see him come through The Armor School with that attitude.

[Steve Blair]

In the 19th century it was not uncommon for Academy grads to go directly into civilian life; the purpose of the Academy was different then, and maybe it's time to rethink its ultimate purpose now.

True, but this had more to do with the state of the Army at the time than any conscious decision on the part of the Academy. Graduates took brevet rank, and had to wait (often for extended periods) for a vacancy in a regiment to occur. They could be assigned in brevet rank, though. In other cases it was opportunists who took the education and then resigned as soon as it was practical to do so.

West Point in the 19th century often found itself forced to defend its very existence, as there was some popular resentment and suspicion directed at ANY standing military organization, let alone a "mini-Prussia" sitting on the Hudson...