Generations
of warriors — the ones who fell on muddy foreign soil, the ones who
have felt the searing sting of shrapnel and lead, the ones who, at this
very moment, linger on distant shores in defense of the United States —
will gather Saturday on a football field.
You’ll see flashes of them, symbols of their
service and sacrifice, amid the maelstrom of limbs and mud and sweat on every play of the Army-Navy game.
As they’ve done for decades in this annual clash, each player who takes
the field will wear a patch stitched to the upper-right corner of their
jersey. Those patches are the same symbols donned by those who have
served, who still serve today or who have sacrificed their lives so that
their country may thrive, so that a football game can be played on a
Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Many of the patches represent the
unit of a family member or friend.
ARMY, NAVY IN 2012
|
|
W-L |
PF |
PA |
STREAK |
|
Army |
2-9 |
278 |
407 |
Lost 2 |
|
Navy |
7-4 |
280 |
259 |
Won 1 |
|
• TV: 3 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS |
Others embody complete strangers — to whom the players nevertheless
feel a sense of kinship and gratitude — who are stationed in different
corners of the world. These players will soon join their ranks, but
before they do, they have a chance to pay homage to those who came
first.
“The opportunity to show pride and respect for my grandfather on a
national stage against a great opponent, it’s just tremendous,” said
Army running back Jon Crucitti, who will wear the 45th Infantry Division
patch once sewn onto his grandfather’s uniform.
Martin Crucitti earned a Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart in
World War II after his involvement in the Battle of Anzio in early 1944.
There, 4,500 miles from the easternmost shore of his home country,
Crucitti and his platoon were the victims of a surprise bombing of a
nearby church as they advanced through the city. They were scattered
like leaves in the wind, blown asunder by the force of the blast.
Crucitti was hurled hundreds of feet, but survived. His hand and teeth
were shattered and his body was covered in bruises and lacerations;
others in his platoon weren’t as lucky. Despite his injuries, Crucitti
turned back for his countrymen and pulled two officers from the rubble.
In October, Crucitti turned 95. Though age will prevent him from
attending his grandson’s game, he did get to see him play once during
his first season. And the grandfather proudly bequeathed his patch to
Jon when he was a freshman; the grandson has just as proudly worn it in
every Army-Navy game since.
Though the patches oftentimes carry a great deal of emotional weight,
they’re no burden, many Army and Navy players said. Crucitti insists
that he feels no extra pressure to perform when he sees that patch on
his shoulder. Instead, he draws inspiration from it and is unafraid of
failure.
“I know my grandpa’s going to love me at the end of the day either
way,” Crucitti said. “But it just gives you that little extra motivation
to try to perform at a higher level. He’s going to be my grandpa no
matter what, but you always want to make him proud.”
Nine of the past 24 meetings between Army and Navy have been decided
by five points or less. Six of the past 23 pairings have been decided by
two points or less. Eight of the past 22 have been decided in the
game’s final minute.
Not all of the patches carry such a level of emotional attachment, but they matter a great deal to the players.
In previous years, Navy senior safety
Tra’ves Bush had worn a patch representing the USS Carl Vinson as a show
of gratitude to his uncle, who served on the ship. But this season, a
letter persuaded Bush to break that tradition and honor a complete
stranger.
Lt. Charles Silva survived his time serving in Vietnam, but was
attacked by young trespassers on his Virginia property in September.
After a month-long struggle, he succumbed the injuries at the age of 77.
Silva had befriended Chris Reaghard, who was a former Navy defensive
lineman and a 1995 graduate of the academy. After Silva’s tragic death,
Reaghard reached out to his alma mater, penning a letter detailing
Silva’s service and his untimely death. He hoped that one of Navy’s
players would take it upon himself to don an F-8 Crusaders flight group
patch bearing Silva’s name.
Once Bush finished the letter, he knew that he’d step onto the field against Army wearing that patch.
2012 Army-Navy uniforms
Nike
“Anyone that read that letter would’ve chosen to wear the patch,” Bush
said. “Everyone knows that anybody on the team would’ve done this for
the family.”
Navy linebacker Brye French understands that sentiment. He, too, is
wearing a patch in honor of a man he never met. But there was no letter
that convinced him to do it, rather, a legacy. Brendan Looney’s name
echoed throughout the grounds at Annapolis since his 2004 graduation,
particularly among members of the school’s lacrosse team. Looney was a
standout in the sport and helped guide Navy to a berth in the national
championship game as a senior. The Midshipmen fell one point shy against
Syracuse, but his legend had been cemented.
Former Navy lacrosse coach Richie Meade spoke to subsequent teams of
Looney’s unrelenting work ethic and positive attitude. French, playing
lacrosse along with football, came to know of Looney through Meade and
looked up to the former star despite never crossing his path. The two,
however, were brought together by tragic circumstance.
After his time at the Naval Academy, Looney endured what’s considered
by many to be the military’s most brutal training regimen and earned the
right to call himself a Navy SEAL. However, he perished along with
eight other troops in a Sept. 21, 2010, helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
Looney died at the beginning of French’s sophomore year, and Meade took
French and his teammates to Looney’s funeral at Arlington National
Cemetery. Under the saddest of circumstances, he’d finally gotten to be
in the presence of a man he’d quietly idolized.
French didn’t forget that day in Arlington; last season, he wore
Looney’s SEAL Team 3 patch against Army and it will be back on his
uniform Saturday. Once the first ball is snapped, French said his focus
will be solely on football, but in the few quiet moments when he’s alone
with his thoughts amid thousands of his fellow servicemen, he’ll feel
the significance of what is affixed to his chest.
“It’s a special moment, a special event, because everyone wears a patch
representing those overseas or those who have lost their life, gave the
ultimate sacrifice, so the opportunity to represent Brendan Looney
really is an honor,” French said. “In the back of my mind, maybe not
during the game, but before, or whenever there’s a little break in the
game, I’ll think about his example.”
Saturday will mark the 113th meeting between Army and Navy. The game
features two of the top six rushing offenses in the nation; the Black
Knights are No. 1 with 369.82 rushing yards per game; the Midshipmen are
sixth at 285.45.
Getty Images
Even
for players who’ll be on the sideline on Saturday, the game is
momentous and affords them a public opportunity to say thank you.
Army offensive lineman Michael Kime
suffered a knee injury against Temple two weeks ago and will be unable
to play against Navy. Still, like all other Army players, he’ll be
wearing a uniform that pays tribute to the Battle of the Bulge — a map
of the battle will be imprinted on the uniforms’ numbers — and will also
wear an 82nd Airborne patch to honor his paternal grandfather, Richard
Owen Kime, who was a combatant in the very battle depicted on those
uniforms.
Nearly 70 years ago, Kime was shot
through the lung in Bastogne, Belgium, in one of the Battle of the
Bulge’s most important conflicts. As he was losing blood and clinging to
life while being driven by ambulance to safety, his driver had to
maneuver through Gen. George S. Patton’s oncoming tanks, who were
rushing forward to offer support to the Ally-controlled city that had
been encircled by Nazi forces. Kime remembers his grandfather telling
him that the ambulance driver, weaving through those friendly charging
tanks, may have been as frightened as he was.
Kime was only 11 when his grandfather died in 2003, so while they were
close, they never had the chance to know each other as men. But Kime
takes solace knowing that he has the opportunity to represent his
grandfather on Saturday. He plans to do the same next season when,
hopefully, he’s able to take the field.
“By the time I really understood what he really went through and I got
to really appreciate what the Greatest Generation did, unfortunately it
was too late,” Kime said. “One of my bigger regrets is that my
grandfather never got to see me play in an Army uniform. So I have it in
the back of my head all of the time that I’m playing for so much more
than myself.”
This year’s game will serve as the deciding contest for the 2012
Commander In Chief’s Trophy. For the first time since 2005 both Army and
Navy enter the game with victories against Air Force. The Midshipmen
have captured 13 of the past 15 meetings, including a series-record 10
in a row, to take a 56-49-7 advantage in the rivalry. For more information go to NCAA.com.
Six of the top 11 teams in the AP Poll reside in the SEC, including No. 2 
The
Big 12 has two teams currently ranked in the AP Poll, its fewest of any
week this season. To put that in perspective, both the WAC and MAC have
two teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
The
WAC finished the year ranked ahead of both the Big East and the MAC.
Although the top of the MAC is strong -- as indicated by