September 25, 2004

A soldier's letter to 'Bama's Mike Shula

Citizen Frank is serving with the US Army in Baghdad, Iraq. He posted this letter to Alabama Head Coach Mike Shula on his website. Coach Shula was so touched, he posted it on his website.

Sep 9. 2004

Dear Coach Shula,

Hello from Baghdad, Iraq! Congratulations on your team’s impressive win over Utah State to open the 2004 football campaign. I am writing to share a word of encouragement with your players and to give them a sense of appreciation of why they work so hard.

I’ve been stationed here in Baghdad doing a one-year tour working with the Army Corp of Engineers as we go about spending $19 Billion dollars to build schools, power plants, pipelines, roads, and hospitals for the people of Iraq. The American soldiers here work and live under a constant threat of mortars, rockets, car bombs, and gunfire. With the many difficulties and obstacles we face, it understandable that we don’t smile much. Don’t get me wrong. The soldiers here are steeled in their resolve to help rebuild this country, despite the insurgents’ efforts to kill us. Iraq is an emerging democracy of freedom and hope, and we are proud to be helping in this critical effort.

Yet, with our struggles it is safe to characterize our morale as steady, but muted. The time I have spent here would not be characterized as delightful or even fun. This past weekend, however, I saw a remarkable and positive change in the spirits and attitudes of the American soldiers here. College football started again!

Suddenly, in just one night, almost every soldier was talking, bragging, discussing, debating, and reveling in the exploits of their favorite college team. The enthusiastic discussion of college football so engaged our time and energies that our Colonel had to actually order us to chill out, to take it down a notch! Unaccustomed to talking about anything but SEC football, I have found that there are rabid college football fans from all parts of the country. I even had to endure the rantings of a higher ranked officer as he argued that Boise State is soon to be a college football powerhouse.

College football can even be a uniter. As personally repulsive as it may sound, I found myself arguing alongside a Florida, Auburn, and yes, even a Tennessee fan, as we defended the correct notion that the SEC is America’s superior football conference.

Growing up an Alabama fan, and being an Alumni, I know that not seeing my beloved team play this year is one of the real struggles of being away from home. It probably ranks right behind missing my family, friends, and church. You can imagine then the utter joy I experienced in this forsaken dessert when I was able to get the radio telecast through the internet!

Yes, it came on at 3:00 am Baghdad time. However, once the bellowing vocals of Eli Gold came emitting through the speakers, I escaped from this war, closed my eyes, and remembered so clearly being a teenager taking a break from fishing with my grandfather as we sat in the back of his pick-up truck while eating homemade sandwiches packed in a cooler listening to another Alabama victory. Good times.

The team’s performance last Saturday made me very proud. The team shared the ball, and what I heard described was not the play of egotistical teenage Prima Donnas, but young men of character that have put sportsmanship and the team ahead of personal glory. Great job guys!

What we are doing here is very serious and important, but what you are doing there is important also. For we do not only fight to free other people from oppression, we fight to protect what we love about America. College football is part of what we love. That’s why the soldiers seem so happy now that their beloved teams are playing. It reminds us of the good, fun things about our country we love so much.

I’m not saying college football is as important as fighting a war. After all, while a 19 year-old kid in Bryant-Deny stadium was returning an interception for a touchdown, a 19-year-old kid in Baghdad was returning small arms fire. I’m simply writing to make sure you know that what you’re doing really lifts our spirits. You have definitely lifted mine.

Roll Tide,

Captain Frank Myers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Baghdad, Iraq
Originally from Birmingham, Alabama
frankmyers@gmail.com
www.frankmyers.blogspot.com
P.S. My mouth is writing checks you had better cash for me. :>

Posted by Kevin Donahue

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Comments & Trackbacks

1. Jeff Dundon says:

   posted on September 25, 2004 01:59 PM — link

   Great Post! No matter what team it was pulling for, that makes me proud! God Bless That guy!

   Thanks Kevin!

2. wilma f. says:

   posted on September 25, 2004 03:16 PM — link

   Kevin, thank Coach Shula for sharing this letter
   with all of us. Is there any way you could e-mail
   me a copy so that I may share it with all of our
   friends & families? Particularly the ones who
   have family members or friends who are leaving
   for Iraq in a few weeks (in actual fact, the
   end of Nov.-----after the election. DUH!!!!)
   I think it'll help to let them know there is
   a part of "Home" that they are able to receive
   & help pass the days for them.
   Thanks, again to Coach Shula (he is truly
   a credit to his dad) & thank you.
   W. F.

3. Gary Cagle says:

   posted on September 27, 2004 11:08 PM — link

   I am (1) a native of Alabama (Haleyville/Lynn area in NW 'Bama), and (2) a die hard WAR EAGLE FAN, and (3) a medically retired Army medic, and (4) the husband of a soldier who has been deployed to both Iraq and Afganistan in the past couple of years.

   Having said all that, I must admit that CPT Frank Myers post both brought tears to my eyes, and convinced me (finally, and unless they are playing Auburn!) to shout out "ROLL TIDE"

   Dustoff 339

4. Joey Jackson says:

   posted on September 30, 2004 04:41 PM — link

   God Bless Captain Myers and the rest of the freedom fighters serving this country so well! For them to still be able to find such joy and excitement in college football being where they are is so encouraging and uplifting. I can only imagine not being able to see the Tide every Saturday, not to mention the much more important reality of what they're dealing with in Iraq.