The Army-Navy game this Saturday marks the 120th anniversary of the great football rivalry. Their first game was played on a field laid out on a corner of the Parade Ground at West Point. In my 4 years at West Point (I graduated in 1964) we never beat Navy; the following year we did (I was in Ranger School, just back from a long patrol and had trouble keeping my eyes open while watching it on TV). The next year I took my new bride to the game (we were married the day before)—and we won. This year the game could go either way.
Unlike other school rivalries, Army and Navy folk only oppose each other when we’re playing each other; I root for Navy when they’re playing anyone else. The reason—we’re the people who are preparing to go to war to protect our nation, and we appreciate the commitment that we share. But tomorrow is the big game. So, from the bottom of my heart, BEAT NAVY.
