Army Football

The leaders of two of America's most visible organizations, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and US Army Chief of Staff Raymond T. Odierno, appeared together at the US Military Academy at West Point Thursday to announce a "Joint Health and Wellness Initiative" to enhance the health of both soldiers and players.

The announcement was made as part of a panel discussion regarding the prevention and treatment of "Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries" held at the Jefferson Hall Library.  Participating in the discussion were several US Army soldiers and former NFL Players Troy Vincent and Bart Oates.  In the audience were over one hundred cadets including several members of the West Point football team and head coach Rich Ellerson.

The release, issued jointly by the NFL and the US Army states:

"The multi-faceted initiative, built upon the mutual respect shared by the two organizations, is designed, to promote help-seeking behaviors and empower soldiers and players to maintain healthier minds on the playing field and the battle field."

General Odierno opened the event by welcoming Commissioner Goodell and the guests from the NFL to West Point saying:

"The National Football League has been a long standing supporter of our soldiers and our families.  No matter where you go in the league, you find them (the  NFL) reaching out to our soldiers our families, helping us, making sure we feel part of the NFL...especially during times of deployments".

A central theme of the discussion was the need to educate both soldiers and players that concussion injuries need to be taken seriously, identified and treated.  The value of their being taken out of games and off of battlefields being the long-term health of the individual and their ability to contribute to their organizations in the future.

When the moderator asked the over two hundred members of the audience consisting largely of members of the Corps of Cadets and several current veteran Army soldiers how many believed they had suffered concussions, the majority of hands went up.  When asked how many had sought immediate medical assistance after suffering that concussion, only a small fraction of the same hands went up. The moderator reflected,

"General, Commissioner, this is the issue, that is why we are here".

The focus of the discussion was the culture and training in both the military and football to play through injuries and not take yourself out of action.  Former New York Giants' center Bart Oates said about the reluctance of NFL players to take themselves out of game due to a possible injury, 

"You spend your entire life getting there, so once you make it, it is counter intuitive to what you have been working towards your entire life, not to mention the fact that when you are in that state you are impaired, whether it is a severe concussion or even a mild concussion, so when you are in an impaired state you are asking someone to make a logical decision."

Oates went on, "Will you take yourself out when you work your whole life to be in that situation. Particularly in a game, there are only 16 regular season games, plus three or four more (playoffs) if you are lucky, how precious each moment and play is, you want to be out there to help your team".

The question was discussed of limited NFL rosters causing starting players to think twice about leaving play or being asked to play with injuries including possible concussions because the injured player is still considered better than the second-string player on the team.

Troy Vincent described recovering from knee surgery, his coach told him, "Seventy percent of you is better than 100 percent of our second string" so he went in and "They protected me with some play calls, they did not to expose my weakness at the time".

Several Army speakers on the panel and those who spoke from the audience described the type of situations they have encountered on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan where they deal with bombs, mortars, and Improvised Explosive Devices.  One Staff Sargent who looked like a football player and actually had played two seasons of arena football described his combat experience and injuries.

"We got blown up, hit by a 500 pound bomb"

The non-commissioned officer described taking multiple medications for the ongoing pain from his injuries.  He knew he had a concussion among other probable injuries but said that in an ongoing combat situation he could leave his young soldiers.

General Odierno said to solve the problem,

"As Chief of  State of the Army, I can say all I want, it doesn't mean anything to the soldiers, because the people that are powerful in their lives are their platoon leaders and platoon sergeant, and their squad leaders and first sergeants, because that is who controls their life everyday, so what they need is them to have a conversation about this where they talk about the importance of being honest and the fact that there will not be retribution, that is how you solve the problem, we need to have this dialogue down at the lowest levels."

The soldiers talked about exposure to a bomb blast as "Being blown up". Sometimes they survive, sometimes they have a concussion, they are all shook up but they are trained to keep doing their jobs and looking out for the soldiers they serve with.  A Sargent Major described the challenges of a combat deployment in which his unit was deployed at less than full strength,

"I had twenty direct hits on me, in my battalion, we cleared about 850 IEDs and we encountered about 3,500."

The SGM went on, "The fact is I did not have a soldier who did not get blown up"

He went on to describe that he had 19 Purple Hearts awarded to his battalion. He described receiving additional training on how to recognize concussions in mid-deployment and said, 

 "Everytime I had someone blown up, I sent them to get checked"

The problem of NFL players self identifying their injuries came up as a major barrier to their taking them selves out of games because of the culture and training which directs them to play with injuries if it helps their team.

Bart Oates said:

"As a player you can not self self police yourself, it is different from being in the military, some similarities, but as a player you are are there, you have won that position, your there to help your team win, and that is the most important thing at that moment, for those three hours on Sunday afternoon, that is the most important thing.  Anything that detracts from it, injuries or otherwise, is ignored.  You deal with them the next day".

About convincing the very large Army organization of 1.1 million members General Odierno said,

We need to educate and leadership within the Army of the importance of identifying and treating soldiers that have been exposed to explosion incidents, "We are going to hold them accountable  if they are not taking care of the young men and women who are putting their lives at risk in very serious conditions".

In a comment hat could apply to athletes just as well, the General said,

"We have to make sure we understand, this is normal, that it happens to everyone, and that the long-term impacts are far worse than the impacts it has on your platoon or company".

Towards the end an Army officer asked the NFL players if the reason they would play through an injury is the fear of losing their salaries, Troy Vincent responded by saying:

"I played because I loved it. You come back in the game because you want to compete. You don't want to let the guys down in the locker room."

Commissioner Goodell who described suffering a concussion playing baseball responded,

"Player health and safety is a priority for us, because we believe it is the right thing to do. Our players deserve the effort, to make sure we make the game as safe as possible for future players, current players, and former players. I can not deny money is a factor, but if you take care of yourself, allow yourself to recover from injury, you are likely to have a longer career."

The meeting made a statement at the senior most levels of the Army and the NFL that increased efforts are being made to help both soldiers and players identify and give themselves the opportunity to treat concussion injuries.

For the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs the effort is critical to find ways to take care of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who already have mental and physical injures from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as those serving today and in the future. Vietnam era veterans say they are still suffering from lack of treatment when they served.

For the NFL the continued accounts of the dementia, suicides and early deaths of former players brings urgency to find ways to identify and hold out of games players who either have not been identified to have concussions or are trying to play without giving the injuries a chance to heal.  From the dialogue Thursday, the league will have to give more responsibility to test players and pull them immediately out of games if they have a suspected concussion injury.  This will create higher costs to the league which might need to expand rosters to give more injured player time to heal.

The vital role of the NFL to set the example for college, high school and amateur levels of the sport can not be underestimated. 

As we watch the first weekend of the college football season, we should remember that high school classmates of many of the players are serving over seas in the military putting their lives at risk so we can enjoy the games back home.

All quotes are from the panel discussion held at West Point on August 30, 2012.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football and Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio.

The U.S. Military Academy announced Friday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno will visit West Point on Thursday August 30th to hold a panel discussion to "promote culture change and reduce stigma associated with mTBI/concussion injuries."

The USMA release defined mTBI as "Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries" and described the purpose of the event, "This venue provides an authentic and meaningful opportunity to discuss the Soldier-Athlete commitment to education and awareness related to these injuries".

Also indicated to be speaking at the program will be former NFL players Troy Vincent and Bart Oates.  The Co-chair of the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee Dr. Richard Ellenbogan, the Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington will also be presenting.

A West Point spokesperson described to me that the event will formalize what has been an ongoing, informal discussion between the NFL and the Army on helmet safety and related injury prevention and treatment.  The NFL reports that meetings between Commissioner Goodell and General Odierno on sharing injury prevention and treatment experience between the Army and the NFL had started last year and continued through the summer.  

The NFL is also following a US military practice since 2007 of placing "blast sensors" inside football helmets to measure the force of blows received according to a July 12th Stars and Stripes report.

The release describes that the Army and NFL plan on "working together on the issue of mTBI/concussions and promote positive culture change now and for the next generation."

Participating in the audience for the event will be members of the Corps of Cadets and U.S. Army soldiers.

The Army and the NFL certainly have reason to work together on the prevention and treatment of concussion injuries. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released a report on July 13, 2012 regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which it says "affects an estimated 13 to 20 percent of U.S. service members who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan".  

The NFL has increasing concerns about injuries to its players and the resulting health effects after their careers. 

The New York Times reported in Oct. 2010, "A 2000 study surveyed 1,090 former NFL players and found more than 60 percent had suffered at least one concussion in their careers and 26 percent had had three or more".

During the 2010 football season in a game at MetLife Stadium, West Point was witness to the paralysing spinal injury suffered by Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand, when he attempted to tackle Army's Malcolm Brown on a kickoff return. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX, Sons of the American Legion Radio and American Legion Press. Follow on Twitter @SAL50nyRadio

The Army offense may have its top seven runners back from last season's Black Knight team—which led the country in rushing—but the team is being exhorted to "hold onto the football" during West Point summer workouts by head coach Rich Ellerson. 

In 2010 when Army defeated SMU at the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas, the Black Knights had one of the best turnover ratios in college football. Last year's team, despite averaging 296 yards per game, was plagued by losing 22 fumbles, which often occurred at key times. 

Sunday's early morning practice focused on offense.  Before starting a series of drills, Ellerson challenged the team to "not put the ball on the ground" under penalty of doing 10 "up and downs," which in high school we used to call grass drills.  The players jog in place and then on command they drop their chests to the hit the ground and then quickly get up.  The three teams of offensive players had one drop, so the coach called for five reps of the exhausting exercise.  

Starting quarterback Trent Steelman looked sharp in passing drills; one crisp 20-yard sideline play was completed to junior wideout Patrick Laird.  Backup and heir apparent next season to Steelman is sophomore Angel Santiago, who took snaps with several offensive teams. Santiago, known for his speed running the ball, is working on his passing and decision making skills.

It is neat to watch the organization at practice where three offensive groups simultaneously workout practicing plays with the defense at the other end of the field.  Army worked out of their no-huddle offense with the same process as last year, with the team at the line of scrimmage checking cards held up from the sideline for plays.

The 100 or so Army players started the early morning practice with full pads indoors, despite sunny skies and mild temperatures.  The airplane, like Foley Athletic Center, is big enough for a full length "Field Turf" field.  One of the coaches said that they like to practice inside because it is easier to record video.   After a short break, the players practiced in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts on the outside field, also called Field Turf. Later they moved back in for the last segment and ran through plays.

Coach Ellerson has a deep offensive backfield and will start the season with last year's 1,078-yard runner Ray Maples at halfback and sophomore Larry Dixon expected to start at fullback.  The 1,000-yard gaining fullback from 2010, senior Jared Hassin, is expected to play at a slotback position which allows him to carry the ball, block and also give QB Steelman a receiver option out of the backfield.  Add to that speedy halfback senior Malcolm Brown, who had 572 yards last season and sophomore Trenton Turrentine to the mix of Army options out of the backfield. 

The Army "Triple Option" offense, directed by coordinator Ian Shields, does not use tight ends but depends on the fullback, slotbacks and wide receivers to block.  The wide receivers are often blocking or running deep routes to move the corners and safeties away from the running plays.  Steelman will usually make a couple of deep throws in the first half to keep the defense honest.  On Sunday, he and junior Patrick Laird connected for a neat outside 25-yard completion that pleased the rest of the offensive players and coaches.  

Upfront, the Black Knights feel very comfortable with sophomore Ryan Powis at center, who took over the starting job mid-way through 2011, and as he told me at Media Day, feels much more comfortable about the opportunity to start having had several games and spring practices to mold with the starting offensive team.

Senior Will Wilson at 6'2" and 285 pounds is Army's biggest player on the roster and is expected to start at right tackle but was taking some snaps in practice at center on Sunday. Last year, Wilson started at center in the win over Northwestern.  He had surveyed the defense before plays as if to see he was going to run over on the upcoming play.  Very few Army players have the intimidating size and the same bit of a mean streak like Wilson.

After Wilson took blocking penalties against Miami last year, the coaches shifted to playing Powis at center, like Larry Dixon a high potential freshman.  I have wondered if Wilson might have been given a chance to fill in on Army's undersized and undermanned defensive line late last year when the team got run over by Temple.  A small difference might have changed the outcome against Navy.

In 2012, Army plans to wear same style of football uniforms that they wore against Navy last year— sand colored helmets and pants.  The helmets retain the black strip, but the pants are plain.  The jerseys will not have the alternate color shoulder sections of the past two years but rather Academy and Army patches.

An advanced copy of Joe Drape's new book on Army football, "Soldiers First," which will be released before the season starts details the extraordinary background of Coach Ellerson's family in the Army. Geoffrey Ellerson, his dad, was a Colonel who graduated from West Point in 1935.   His brother John Ellerson '63 was a West Point football captain, who retired a two-star general. His brother Geoffrey
also graduated in 1963 and retired as a Colonel.  An active duty officer,  Colonel Geoffrey Ellerson III has served deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The Black Knights have a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, August 18th at 1 p.m. but then start classes on Monday.  They will start practices during the school year at 6:50 a.m., except for Thursdays at 7:35 a.m.  Another scrimmage is planned for Saturday, August 25th, with the start time to be determined.  A mock game is planned for Friday, August 31st.  The Black Knights do not play Labor Day weekend but will open up at San Diego State on Sept. 8.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 AM and Sons of the American Legion Media. Twitter @SALRadio50NY.

Army senior defensive back Brandon Whittington from El Paso, Texas has been named First Captain for the 2012-2013 school year, the highest leadership position at the US Military Academy.  This according to an announcement released by West Point on Friday afternoon.

The First Captain is the senior cadet who leads the entire Corps of Cadets in parades, presides over administration of the Corps and is asked to host the many VIPs who visit the Academy.  At the Army-Navy game when the entire Corps marches out on to the field in company formations, the First Captain leads the 4,000 Cadets onto the field and yells out the commands. 

Commenting in the announcement was head football coach Rich Ellerson:

"Brandon knows what the group needs to hear and see, and he steps forward. Most guys could figure it out if you gave them an hour, but he can do it in the blink of an eye. That has always set him apart. He’s a good player."

The First Captain position, also known as the Brigade Commander, holds traditions at West Point.  Alumni who have held the position include John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur and Pete Dawkins.

The last Army football player to serve in this capacity was Hans Pung during the 1994-1995 season.  In the long history of West Point football, Cadet Whittington is the 26th Black Knight to hold this position.

In the release, Whittington said:

"Our main goal is to become Army officers.  Yes, we are Army football players, and we are Army football players, and we are committed to everything that it means to be an Army football player, but there is a bigger purpose for all of us."

Another Army football player—senior punter Chris Boldt from St. Louis, MO—was named the First Regimental Commander, another of the top positions in the Corps of Cadets.  West Point has four regiments of approximately 1,100 cadets.  Football long-snapper Carson Homme was Commander of the Third Regiment during the 2010-2011 year.  

Whittingham has been primarily a special teams contributor for the Black Knights playing in 11 of the 12 games in 2011 as a junior.  Boldt punted 31 times for Army in 2011 averaging 39.8 yards.

These two appointments show that that the football team is gaining standing on the West Point campus and reflects well on the program rebuilding that Coach Ellerson and his staff have been conducting—now going into their fourth season. 

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX in New Rochelle, NY and for Sons of the American Legion Radio.

There were many familiar faces at West Point Wednesday morning as the Army Black Knight football players and coaches gathered to talk to the media before starting their first day of practice.

This is head coach Rich Ellerson's fourth year at the helm of the Army program, and most of the players are ones that his staff recruited to West Point.  The Black Knights have seven home games this year after only playing four times at Michie Stadium in 2011. 

Key goals for the team are to win the Commander-In-Chief games against Air Force at home the first Saturday in November, and the Navy game in December to be played back in Philadelphia.   I have to doubt if there is another school in the country where the players are reminded so often of the goal for every season, "Beat Navy!".

Coach Ellerson commented on the start of summer training at the Media Day press gathering at Randall Hall:

"We just got the guys back yesterday, the guys go all over the map over the summer, but it looks like we had a productive summer, we took care of business, but we kept the arrow up physically, and guys are excited to go."

It is also the fourth season in a row that Trent Steelman, the Bowling Green, Kentucky native, will go into the opening day lineup as the Black Knights' quarterback.  As a freshman, Steelman had to do a lot of the running himself and took a lot of hits when the coaches often called his number on short yardage and goal line situations.  The toll became visible when he missed playing time for the first time after injuries in the Vanderbilt and Temple games.  Despite this, in 2011, he led Army with 12 touchdowns scored. 

I asked the Army quarterback about now being a senior after starting as a plebe:

As a senior, you are it. You are the leader of the team more than ever. Obviously, as the quarterback, you have to be able take on that role as leader of team.  But when you put the senior brand on it, it makes it that much more important.  People are going to look to you in adverse situations, looking to you to lead the team.  That is what I need to be able to do this year.

Few probably realize that Army led the country in rushing last year with an average of 296 yards gained on the ground per game.  Amazingly, the top seven runners are all back for the Black Knights, who will have one of the most experienced backfields in Academy history.  

Steelman himself ran for 645 yards and can call upon two players who have run for over 1,000 yards in an Army uniform—senior Jared Hassin in 2010 and junior Ray Maples, who had 1,066 yards in 2011. Throw in senior slotback Malcolm Brown, who had 572 yards last year, and sophomore fullback Larry Dixon from Bremerton, WA who had 542 yards. Both Brown and Dixon contributed five touchdowns to the offense. 

Larry Dixon described to me what it was like to play and start several games as the West Point fullback:

It was a real honor, especially when you think of the history this place has, the kind of guys I got to play next to.  It was just a real honor to be able to play with them.

The offensive line has depth going into the start of the season. One of the young players who gained experience at center last year was Michael Kime from Zionsville, Indiana.  I asked the now  246-pound junior, who is targeted for play as a tackle this year, about the experience he gained last season:

I think I had a pretty good season last year, unfortunately I was hampered by some injuries, I was really happy to be out there, being able to contribute to the team, and helping the guys any ways I could.

On defense, the Black Knights played numerous freshmen and sophomores in key roles last year, and lacked size on the front line.  Now Coach Ellerson has Jarrett Mackey back, who was injured in the opening game last year, and three talented players in Mike Ugenyi, Richard Glover and Robert Kough to bring size and speed to the defense.  Jr. Holt Zalneraitis played in all 12 games last year on the defensive line and will move to defensive end this season.

Co-Defensive Coordinator, Chris Smeland, described to me the start of the new season:

It is exciting because it is the start of a new season, new ball club,  We might have some of the same players, but every year it is a different personality.  We are excited about this year's crew, and looking forward to getting started this afternoon.

It is just the start of the season and a long way to go, but this coaching staff and squad of players has the potential to have a winning season, win games in the "Commander and Chief" rivalry and play in a post-season bowl game.  The Black Knights will be fun to watch.

All quotes were obtained at the West Point Media Day.  John Chuhran contributed to the story.

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point Football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, and Sons of the American Legion Radio.

Army head coach Rich Ellerson conducted spring practices this year before classes at West Point.  The idea went over so well, the Black Knights will practice before class throughout the 2012 season.

This news was passed by West Point sports information director Brian Gunning in a call.  The typical schedule will be:

- 6:30 a.m.: taping

- 6:50 to 8:45 a.m.: meetings and on field

- 9:00 a.m.: breakfast

- 9:35 a.m.: head to class

Normally at West Point, a bugle sounds the start of the day and formations are held to go over plans for the day and inspections are made of uniforms and the like.  Then in their companies, they march to Washington Hall, where all 4,000-plus cadets eat as a group in a short amount of time before the start of their academic day.

Imagine that the football players, especially the freshmen (known of course as plebes), will have to make this up in the afternoon and be able to join the corps for the evening meal and activity.

Gunning described that the morning practice schedule will allow the cadets to participate in more afternoon classes and have time to meet with professors later in the day.  The morning practice schedule required the players' class schedules to be prepared so they would not have class times starting before 9:30 a.m.  Normally, classes at West Point begin as early as 7:30 a.m. 

Nutrition and hydration is a concern for the players, at a school where meals are eaten quickly in short, regimented periods.  Breakfast will be provided after practice before the players head to morning classes.

Keeping weight on the players, especially linemen, is a constant struggle at West Point, which trains soldiers to operate in extremely harsh and often very hot climates.  Like all cadets, the players must pass regular physical fitness tests, which includes a relatively quick time for the two-mile run.  They must also participate in rigorous Army military training, which is often conducted in very warm climates. 

We interviewed an officer in the New York National Guard for my radio show recently who was stationed in Kuwait—he said it was 122 degrees on July 4th. 

Last year, the West Point defense line was whittled down by injuries to players weighing 230 to 250 pounds.  Finding bigger but still the fast, athletic players the coaches like was a goal during the march spring practice and going into summer practice starting the second week of August.

Ken Kraetzer covers Iona basketball and West Point football for WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, N.Y. and Sons of the American Legion Radio.

Last Friday, word came that an Army football player from the West Point class of 2010, 1^st Lt. Stephen “Chase” Prasnicki, age 24, had died two days earlier, serving in Afghanistan.   

I first read the news on Facebook, in Army QB Trent Steelman's post about his former teammate from the 2009 season: "Thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice brother. RIP Pras.” 

Along with the respectful words of condolence was a collage of photos: #17 in a Black Knight football uniform, the soldier in camouflage uniform, a bride and her husband in dress blues. 

Army Times reported, “Two soldiers who were killed in an improvised explosive device blast earlier this week in Afghanistan were identified”, adding, “they died Wednesday in Maidan Shahr, Wardak province, of wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.”

Lt. Prasnicki, 24, of Lexington, Va. was assigned to 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, a unit based in Bamberg, Germany.

Also killed in the attack was SGT James L. Skalberg Jr. of Cullman, Alabama.

Stephen G. Fine, the parent of another West Point graduate serving in Afghanistan, wrote on the Academy’s remembrance web page about Lt. Prasnicki:

Sir, It is with great sadness that I have read of your passing due to enemy action. You have served your Country, the United States, well and have given the last full measure of devotion in this, your service. I am forever in your debt for your sacrifice that allows our Nation to continue to breathe free. Respectfully,  Stephen G.  Fine.

Prasnicki was a highly recruited high school athlete from Lexington, Virginia and Rockridge County High School.  He was a football player at West Point, serving as a backup quarterback and playing at free safety as a senior.

When you cover a college football team, there are a lot of players, and you don’t meet everyone.  Although I used to take my dad to Army games in the mid-1990s, the 2009 season was our first year covering West Point for our radio show.  

After the Army-Navy game that year, I asked senior wide receiver Ali Villanueva about the game and the last Army drive where he was involved in almost every play—though double-, triple- and on the last play quadruple-covered in the end zone. 

His answered epitomized Army football: “It was fun, but it is time to go lead a platoon.”

2009 was the season Trent Steelman was installed as the starting quarterback as a freshman to help run the option offense that head coach Rich Ellerson was installing.  Several quarterbacks on the roster were passed over—one of them was Chase Prasnicki.

At Rockbridge County High in Virginia, Prasnicki was a star quarterback, his coach Jason White said (via the Roanake Times):

From the word go, he was a leader, and he wasn't going to be outworked by anyone, either.  When he spoke in the huddle, no one else talked, and everybody listened.

With several colleges interested in him, Prasnicki chose West Point—coached then by Bobby Ross, the former San Diego Chargers coach. 

The on-line guest book in the Roanoke Times is 31 pages long.

Charles Grevious of GoBlackknights.com, is the parent of two West Point graduates.  He had spoken with Chase’s dad on R-Day—the day parents bring their sons and daughters to start training at West Point—in 2006.  David Prasnicki, an Army veteran himself, said of his sons’ decision to attend West Point (via Rivals):

He's (Chase) very patriotic, so for him to attend West Point is a good move for him. He will make a good football player, but also a great leader that will help his country somewhere along the line.

This week on our July 4th radio show we asked co-defensive coordinator and safety coach Chris Smeland—himself the parent of a West Point cadet—about Chase Prasnicki, who he coached in 2009:

He was a special young man, no question, one of my favorites since I've been here.  Chase was a guy we moved from the offensive side of the ball to the defensive side of the ball. He had no problems with that, he did it with a big smile.  Everything he did on the football field and in his military responsibilities, he did full speed ahead.   I had to spend some time myself in the Cadet chapel when I found out the news, reflecting on our relationship. Thinking about all the positive things he did for me and hopefully I helped him in some way.  

 Asked what he knew about what had happened in Afghanistan, Coach Smeland said:

It was a tough situation, he arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday of last week, he volunteered, which is his personality, he volunteered to go out on this patrol, and while he was out on patrol his vehicle was attacked by an IED, that was when it happened.

At West Point, the cadets are trained to lead, and that has a lot of requirements. 

We see in our visits to the Academy that it means adhering to discipline, doing physically demanding tasks on a routine basis and being an exceptional student. 

Leadership also means being out front.

Brigadier General William Rapp, the Commandant in 2010, told us he wanted “Every cadet an Athlete”.  Army Head Coach Ellerson likes to describe football as "Leadership laboratory". 

In Afghanistan last week, Chase Prasnicki chose to lead by volunteering to go out on a mission on what was his third full day in the country.  He was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time; he probably never saw the enemy. He was out front.

Volunteering to be out front is what young US Army lieutenants do.  It is what West Point graduates do, and some of the best are West Point football players.

WSLS in Roanoke, VA reports that funeral arrangements have been set for 1Lt Prasnicki Tuesday, July 10^th, 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Lexington, with internment immediately following at Greenhill Cemetery in Buena Vista.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 in New Rochelle, NY and Sons of the American Legion Radio. www.legionpost50ny.com

At the US Military Academy on Saturday, the seniors on the Black Knight football team who led the 2011 team were among the 972 graduates awarded degrees and sworn in as commissioned second lieutenants in the US Army.

Graduation Day at West Point is similar but different than at civilian colleges. The setting was familiar with the seniors marching out on to Blaik Field named for the legendary coach with in Michie Stadium named for the founder of Army football. The first difference is the Cadets march in to the ceremony in their dress grey uniforms with sabers at their sides, not the caps and gowns we see at most graduations. Instead of Pomp and Circumstances, the West Point Band played the awe-inspiring "Army Strong". 

The speaker for the program was Vice President Joe Biden who told the graduates, "Your destiny is to lead your country". The graduation was broadcast live to soldiers watching in Afghanistan.

My estimate of the 18 seniors listed in the 2011 opening day program against San Diego State, Kingsley Ehie graduated in December and 16 graduated Saturday. Defensive back Antuan Aaron was injured all year and linebacker Josh Jones was added to the roster in mid-year both received diplomas Saturday, so 19 of 20 seniors on the 2011 team graduated. That is a strong performance for a team that won a bowl game in 2010 and beat the likes of Northwestern from the Big 10 in 2011.

Among the names read out Saturday at the US Military Academy were a number of cadets very familiar to West Point football fans—Alex Carleton, Andrew Rodriquez, Antuan Aaron, William Prosko, Steven Erzinger, Michael McDermott, Joseph Bailey, Chad Littlejohn, Max Jenkins, Josh Jones, Davyd Brooks, Austin Barr, Robert Kava, Kolin Walk, Justin Schaaf, Brad Kelly, Broghan Carnes, and Frank Ceva.

Linebacker Broghan Carnes was a cadet who enjoyed the camaraderie of playing and contributing to the team. This spring he told me at the "Mission Command" lecture how playing on the team allowed him to bond with the other seniors on the team.

Kicker Alex Carleton was a stand up guy to talk with after games when he made kicks to win games such as against Vanderbilt his junior year or if he missed one.  He finished second in Army history with 36 field goals made with his longest being a 51 yard kick against Vanderbilt in 2010.  He scored 195 points seventh in Academy history and the second most for a kicker behind the 250 points Craig Stopa'85 scored.

Max Jenkins was a captain as the back-up quarterback coming in to play in several games after starter Trent Steelman was injured.  Often he appeared to be another coach on the sidelines communicating with coaches in the press box and players on the field. He led the Black Knights to a win over Fordham and nearly pulled an upset at Air Force.  Jenkins was known for leadership recognized by being named the Deputy Brigade Commander, number two in responsibility in the Corps of Cadets.

Steven Erzinger was the "Legacy" captain who provided consistent leadership play after play in his senior season when he lead the team with 103 tackles.  "Legacy" means he was chosen by the prior year seniors which had won Army's first bowl game in 25 years to carry on their traditions into the next year.  Before sitting out the Fordham game with an injury, the Houston, Texas native had played in 45 straight games.  He represented Army in the East-West Shrine game.   Steve was always available to talk with the media speaking in his humble straight forward way.

Andrew Rodriguez finished his playing career as simply the most acclaimed West Point athlete since Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy in 1958.  In December he was the recipient of the Campbell Trophy presented by the National Football Foundation as the scholar football player of the year.  In March he was named by the AAU as the Sullivan Award winner presented to the amateur athlete of the year.  The only other players to win both awards are Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow. 

Rodriguez led the team in tackles his sophomore year with 85 tackles.  "ARod" was highly respected by his teammates for coming back from back surgery to play a full senior season at linebacker in 2011.   On top of that he was a superstar in the class room finishing second in his class with a 4.12 grade-point average.  Andrew was the winner of a host of Academy Athletic Awards including the  Athletic Association Trophy as the Cadet who had provided the most valuable service to athletics. I'll remember him as another polite, approachable cadet, humble about his extraordinary ability to manage time and overcome adversity.

As Phil Taylor wrote about in Sports Illustrated recently, these seniors were not spending much time thinking this spring about opportunities in the NFL or finding a job like players on non-service academies.  The players were all selected for one of the branches of the Army where they will soon head. They talk about challenges ahead such as the challenging officer basic course they will almost all take upon joining the Army and for many enduring the punishing Ranger qualification course.  Some will be assigned to units that will serve in Afghanistan or other dangerous places.

What was really different about the West Point graduation is what happened after each of the cadets walked up to the podium, received their diploma and shock hands with Vice President Biden.  They stood up as a class with the football players joining the players from baseball, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, golf, and tennis along with all the others to raise their right hands and take the oath of office as second lieutenants. 

Please join me in congratulating all the football players we watched compete during the year, the multitude of athletes, cadets, airmen and midshipmen who graduated from the service academies this week and wish them well and safety in their new careers serving our country as leaders in the armed forces.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football and Iona basketball for Sons of the American Legion Radio heard on WVOX 1460 AM and WVOX.com in New Rochelle, NY.  Twitter @SAL50NYRadio. 

A small group of friends and relatives gathered Friday at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Major Donald Walter Holleder, one of the greats of college football who was heroic in the true sense when called upon to serve in Vietnam.

On November 28, 1955, West Point senior Don Holleder graced the cover of the new sports weekly called Sports Illustrated.  Back then, Army-Navy was as big as any college football game of the year.

Since the 1930s the game was played at the 102,000 seat Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia which is located on the site where the Wells Fargo Center is now located.  Alfred Wright wrote that even at that mammoth stadium, "Army, the host team, could have sold it out three times."

The big story was how gracefully Cadet Don Holleder had made the switch from end, where he had been an All-American the year before, to quarterback when four other candidates were not available to play. 

The 187-pound Holleder learned to make the pitch-outs to the running backs, could throw long or even run the ball himself.  Former Army assistant coach Herman Hickman wrote in the Sports Illustrated article of the pressure on Holleder going into the Navy game, "Operating under more pressure all season than any other QB in college football."

This was still the era of one-platoon football, and Holleder played safety on defense.  Interesting to note that none of the 15 key Army players Sports Illustrated profiled for the game were over 200 pounds.  Navy had just one 200 pound plus player in the lineup.  In 2012 both the Navy center and middle guard were over 300 pounds.

The night before the game, the West Point team went for a walk outside their hotel with head coach Earl "Red" Blaik, who was fretting about having to make the walk across the field at the end of the game to congratulate the opposing coach if Navy won.

Terry Tibbetts in his book, A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, recounts that Holleder said to his coach in front of the team, "Colonel, you're not going to have to take that walk!"

With Holleder at QB, Army upset 11th-ranked Navy 14-6.   

Biff Messenger was a young boy growing up on the Post at West Point in those years.  He would run down the hill from the residential areas at the Academy and watch practices and the games.  He idolized Holleder and described him by saying,

Don looked like a hero, tall, square jawed, almost stately in his appearance.  He practiced like he played full out all the time.  He was the obvious leader of the team in addition to being the best athlete and player.

Holleder was from Rochester New York, a star player at Aquinas Institute where he excelled at football, basketball and baseball.  The school built a 25,000 seat stadium and brought in teams from around the northeast so Holleder learned to play against strong competition. 

He decided to apply to West Point since that was the dream of his late father, who had died when he was a boy.  Holleder received his acceptance telegram just days before the July report date.

Holleder was impressive playing on the West Point freshman team.  Also, one of his offensive coaches was a young Vince Lombardi, who would go on to fame in the pros. 

In the 1955 Army-Navy game, the Midshipmen came in at 6-6-1 and a top passer in George Welsh who would one day be their coach.  With Holleder calling the plays, Army gained 283 yards, all on the ground.  The eight point win in front of the huge crowd was considered one of the great moments in Army football history.

Holleder's 1956 West Point graduating class included Norman Schwarzkopf, who would go on to fame in the 1990s.  Holleder began his career as an Army infantry officer with a first stop in the Pacific, getting married and starting a family of four daughters.   

Messenger recalls that he and his family followed Holleder to his first duty assignment with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.  There, the former player was dragged into playing "Regimental football," which was popular at the time and provided perks. 

He did not like the fanfare of being an athlete in the Army and got out of as soon as possible so he could concentrate on his military duties.  Messenger went on to describe Holleder as an Army officer,

It came as no surprise to anyone who knew Don that he was a natural leader of men in arms, demanding yet compassionate, dedicated to his men and above all fearless. Sure enough after a couple of TO&E infantry tours his reputation as a soldier matched his former prowess as an athlete.

During a subsequent tour at Ft. Monroe, Virginia, Holleder asked to to be assigned to lead troops in Vietnam. 

On October 17, 1967, Maj. Holleder went out to try and help 150 ambushed members of the Army's First Division, which was being attacked by a force nearly ten times its size.  At least 58 Americans were already dead.

He received permission to have his helicopter land amid the battle field chaos.  Holleder tried to run to where American troops were pinned down and was killed a moment later by a sniper who was targeting officers.

Across the street from Michie Stadium is the hockey and basketball arena building which is named, "The Holleder Center"

For years several of his West Point classmates and friends petitioned the Army to upgrade Maj. Holleder's Silver Star decoration to the Distinguished Service Cross.  This is a very high level award, second only to Medal of of Honor.  In April 2011, the Army finally approved this award. 

The presentation will be held at Maj. Holleder's gravesite at Arlington in section one, an older section of the cemetery in the very back near Fort Myers.  They will remember a loved one and a friend who was not only a great college football player but was a soldier committed to serving his country and his fellow soldiers.

More can be read about Maj. Holleder here.  

The 1955 Sports Illustrated article is an amazing read on the differences in the game both in terms of the size of the players and the way coverage of college football was presented.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football for WVOX 1460 AM and Sons of American Legion Radio in New Rochelle, NY.  Follow him on Twitter on @SAL50NYRadio.