Army-Navy Game

I have been extremely fortunate to have a brother that was able to attend West Point Academy. My brother is a cool guy so I’m fortunate that because of his attendance at West Point, he puts together a trip to the Army/Navy game every year with some of his fellow graduates, and he invites me to come along. These graduates include an Admiral, a 4-star General, a 3-star General, and a “sports commentator” by the name of Randy Cross, whom you may have heard of. I believe he used to play with Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers.

One of the things that strikes me the most about this rivalry over all the others is that underneath all the good-natured ribbing they give each other there is a respect that you just don’t find anywhere else on the planet. When the game is over and the final score is in, both teams, in accordance with tradition, “honor the fallen” by singing the other team's alma mater. The losing team sings first, then the winning team. In the end, both teams “play” for the same side, the United States, and though there is a rivalry there is also much respect.

After the game, we usually go to dinner and talk a little about how many of these young men will be in combat next year, and whichever side loses they always say “Well, we always have next year”, there are no hard feelings and we move on.

Many of the guys in our group will bring their wives to the game, but my wife will not go to a game in freezing weather, so I usually bring a very good friend with me. This year the weather cooperated perfectly, just as I scripted it, the temp was in the 60’s. It rained while we headed to the game and I thought we were going to be soaked when all was said and done, but the rain stopped when we got off the bus and started again when we got back on after the game.

The stories I could tell about our mishaps and adventures over the years would require many more entries into the blog, and many are not safe for work stories, but we always have a great time and I’ve made some lifelong friends over the 20 years we’ve been able to do this.

Since I’m in a melancholy mood, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season. May you be warm, safe and healthy this weekend.

From all of us at Ballard Company, Happy Holidays!

JJ Ballard