Navy 42, Army 13

Army Navy... The memories of actually being at the games are so good, we always had a great time and usually managed to get into some sort of trouble. Watching it on TV is almost as fun, especially when you're with a good crowd of friends. When the pregame show started I was surprised to realize that I got chills when they showed the march on. But that subsided quickly as the beverages started flowing and the touchdowns just kept coming. Everyone was having a great time, basking in the successes of our Midshipmen, until Ron Winchester's dad came on. I was at a party with several guys that had known Ron since high school or earlier, and what would have been an emotional moment anyway was heightened by the fast emptying keg on the back porch and the freshness of Ron's memory in their minds. While I knew of Ron and saw him around the yard all the time for the three years we were there together, I did not know him well enough to be emotional about his death any more than anyone else- I was sad when I heard that he had passed, but each time I saw his picture or heard his story I didn't feel the urge to cry. But yesterday it was different. There I was, standing with about 7 grown men who could not withhold their tears for their friend. Yes, I was sad, and yes, seeing those guys cry made it hard for me not to, but I also felt such a sense of pride in knowing that people like Ron are dying every day doing what they love, willing to give it all for their country and what it believes in. What would America be right now without people like 1st Lt Ron Winchester, or 2nd Lt JP Blecksmith, or Major Shea, or Captain Gannon? I hope we never have to find out.