Olympians and the Military: Proudly Serving Their Country

As a retired member of the United States Armed Forces, I know what it takes to eagerly serve your country. Professionalism. Extensive training. Pride, sacrifice, aand passion. Time away from family to travel the globe in pursuit of the objective. Even more extensive training. Sometimes it's a bloodthirsty calling. At other times, you must work side-by-side with your teammates. Sounds like job of an everyday U.S. soldier. Well, I'm talking about the Olympians from Team USA.

Sure, the military and the Olympics are different, but at the same time the similarities are uncanny. You are the face of the red, white and blue. The entire world is looking at you for your next move. An entire country is riveted, waiting for the literal, and figurative, bomb to drop. You ply your skills in far off countries, testing your training techniques. Adapt and adjust seems to be an apt motto for both groups.

When you are away for training, providing military duties or competing internationally, there is no difference. They both miss their families. They also must have a rock-solid supporting cast behind them. Life isn't always going to be a walk in the park. Trials, tribulations, setbacks; they all come with the job. Your supporting cast has to be there for you, to prop you up and urge you to continue when giving up is not an option.

I watched Lindsey Vonn cruise to a gold medal in women's downhill. Did you see how her family reacted? The glowing smiles and flowing tears? A look of disbelief, but with a confidence that the job was done as they had forecast. The long, proud loving hug she shared with her husband and biggest supporter, Thomas Vonn. If I project, I can see that bright smile and river of tears on my former wife's face when our son Steven stepped off the plane from Iraq in January 2010. What's not to like about victory celebrations and homecomings?

If you watched Shaun White, "The Flying Tomato", launch each of his runs during the men's halfpipe, what you saw was this: Steely determination, confidence, an almost "knowing" look that the gold was his. That look would be no different than that of a Marine about to take the last hill in a campaign. Failure is not an option. Shaun White guarenteed, with that look in his eyes, that he was the better man on this night. He wasn't chasing you; you were in a losing fight to maintain him. Hell, you knew that the world had already deemed it so.

During the NBC telecast, you viewed soldiers from Camp Eggers in Afghanistan wildly cheering for Team USA. That was a poignant moment for me: Two seemlessly disconnected groups pulling for one another, both wearing patches of Old Glory on their respective uniforms. You can't help but to get juiced by that!

It seems to me that, in fact, there is only one difference between Team USA and Team Military; The Armed Force of the USA fights for your right to wave that flag; Team USA proudly waves it in victory. Nothing quite like the historic raising the flag on Iwo Jima, but the effects reverbrate around the globe. Ask any service member or Olympian who has returned home after a victory in battle, and they'll tell you this: I served my country well in the international foum, and I'm raising the flag just to show you.