Silver Star winner: It’s all about respect
Army vs. Navy might be college football’s most intense rivalry, but the players always remember they are all on the same team when the game is over.
“One of the Blackhawk (helicopter) pilots who did emergency medevac for me on the battlefield played football at Army, although I never had a chance to catch up with him,” said former Navy linebacker Brian Stann, who received a Silver Star for valor as a Marine in Iraq. “I operated with several Army units.”
Razzing. Trash-talking. Schoolyard insults. Chest-beating. Players hear and see it all as academies ramp up for Army vs. Navy Saturday (3 p.m., CBS). But what players never feel is hatred.
“Hate and dislike are never part of the motivation to play against Army,” Stann. “It’s all respect. It’s all pride That’s what drives you play as hard as you can that day.”
Stann said the respect comes from the shared experience of attending a military academy.
“It’s a year’s worth of bragging rights, that are real and worth having, because of the camaraderie we have,” Stann said. “It’s not just respect because you are going to serve with them. It’s a respect because they are also on the path less chosen. It’s challenging to go to a military academy. It’s a different college experience.”
The game is particularly meaningful for seniors, some knowing they could be deployed into a combat zone in another year.
Stann played in his last Army-Navy game in 2002, and what he remembers most is the senior group photo after the stadium was cleared.
“All of us had tears streaming down our face,” Stann recalled. “For four years, you develop deep bonds that will never go away, but you also know you are going to different units and go in different direction.”
That 2002 photo, on permanent display in Stann’s office, is a reminder of how the Army-Navy game is different. One of Stann’s Navy classmates in that photo, J.P. Blecksmith, was killed by small arms fire during fighting in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004.
“When I heard he died I couldn’t believe it,” Stann said. “Guys like J.P. don’t die. You can’t beat them.”
According to Stann, Blecksmith turned down Pac-10 full scholarships because he wanted to be a Marine officer. His father had been a Marine officer in Vietnam.
“He had a cannon arm. He could throw a ball through your chest,” Stann recalled. “But when you run a triple option like we do, it was challenging to know what to do with him. He never fit.”
Stann said Blecksmith could have transferred at any time and been a starting collegiate quarterback. Instead, he tried other positions, including on special teams.
“Serving his country as a Marine officer was more important to him than football,” Stann said.
“He really embodies all of the greatest character traits that the (Army-Navy) symbolizes. He’s the definition of who plays in that game and what we inspire to be.”
Stann, 38, had two tours of duty in Iraq. Then a lieutenant, Stann earned his Silver Star for his leadership after his unit was ambushed.
His citation reads: “Second Lieutenant Stann personally directed two casualty operations, three vehicle recovery operations and multiple close air support missions under enemy small arms, machine gun and mortar fire in his 360degree fight.”
While in the Marines, he started competing as MMA fighter. He is a former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion. Today, he’s Chief Operating Officer for FirstKey Homes, a company that owns 21,000 single-family rental homes in 20 cities.