One of our members shared this with me and gave me permission to share it with the group. In case you've been wondering about the significance of the flag the football team has carried out each week...here's the explanation:
Typically I have no use for sports analogies to war. Sports are not war. Sports are entertainment. But in the case of Jack Riggins' American flag, I'm happy to make an exception.
Riggins is a veteran Navy SEAL from Fremont, Neb. His official title is "Executive Officer for Naval Special Warfare Unit." He spent the past decade in Afghanistan fighting terrorists. There are football heroes. Riggins is a real hero.
Riggins is currently back in Afghanistan, but last month Riggins was back in his native Nebraska . He was invited to speak to the Nebraska football team. He did. And how.
According to players who were in the room, Riggins' speech blew them away. He was brutally honest. He told war stories. Real war stories.
He talked about growing up a Husker fan. He compared some of the missions he served on to some of the great victories in Nebraska football history. He fired up the Unity Council, saying, "As the Unity Council goes, so goes the 2011 season."
He fired up the whole room and by the end of it, the entire team wanted to follow him out the door.
Riggins left the Huskers one gift. An American flag. And not just any flag. He presented them the flag that he personally carried around Afghanistan for 10 years.
