Brotherhood

By GUEST BLOGGER LT David Hills, USN

Team slogans. It seems that every year, we as coaches believe it is our duty to come up with a new “motivational” slogan for the upcoming season. Often we use inspiring quotes from books, poems and movies. A quick internet search can help us find almost any slogan we want. Some of the more common slogans include phrases like: “Failing to prepare is like preparing to fail,” “There is no "I" in team,” and “Take the 't' off of can't and you can.” In 2001, I was part of the United States Naval Academy Football team that took an idea from William Shakespeare’s Henry V. Starting with the phrase “For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother,” we eventually ended up with “Brotherhood” as our one word slogan. Things like self-sacrifice, loyalty, passion, teamwork, and trust were all part of the “Brotherhood” idea. So was leading from the front, fighting to the end, and never letting a teammate down.

I was reminded of this slogan the other night as I was watching TV. While changing channels, I came across a replay of the 2000 Army-Navy game. Seeing myself on the field gave me a chuckle. There I was, number 4, Navy’s place kicker in a game I will never forget.

With about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter we lined up for a 27 yard field goal. This was a critical point in the game and we knew it. If the kick was good Army would have to score twice to win. If we missed Army would still have a good shot at a win. I made the kick and we eventually won 30-28.

After I made the kick, the first person to come over and congratulate me was Ronny Winchester. Ronny was our starting left guard. He was a fellow New Yorker who was big, tough, courageous, and a great lineman. He was also a great leader and a great person.

As I was reliving that special moment and remembering Ronny, it suddenly hit me that our brother isn’t with us anymore. Ronny Winchester was killed in Iraq. He was out front, leading Marines and serving his country.

Then the camera panned the sidelines and I saw J.P Blecksmith, a sophomore quarterback and special-teams player at the time. J.P. isn’t with us anymore either. Just like Ronny, J.P. was killed in Iraq. He was also serving his country by leading Marines from the front.

Thinking about Ronny and J.P. I began to realize that “Brotherhood” was far more than a slogan for my teammates and I. Over time it has become our way of life. Today we are still teammates. Serving as officers in the U.S. military, we strive each day not to let each other or our country down. Things like self-sacrifice, loyalty, passion, teamwork, and trust are still important to us. So is leading from the front, fighting to the end, and never letting a teammate down.

Currently, I am a Naval Officer stationed in Jacksonville, Florida. Having completed several deployments at sea, I now serve as the Anti-Terrorism Officer for Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. I am responsible for the security of every U.S. Naval asset that operates in the Caribbean as well as Central and South America. I am also a volunteer assistant football coach at Jacksonville University.

When I am coaching at Jacksonville University and look into the eyes of today’s football players, I see many of the same things I saw in the eyes of my Navy football teammates in 2000. I believe that the things my “brothers” and I learned on the football field at Navy are the same things being learned on football fields throughout the country today. Football is a great game whose lessons often live on for a lifetime. As we bring the 2006 season to a close and start thinking about the 2007 season, I would suggest we consider our team’s slogan very carefully. A meaningful slogan can mean more than just sixty minutes of motivation. It can also teach our players some important lessons about life. For the 2000 Navy football team it was “Brotherhood.” What will it be for your team?