My name is Chris Medina and I’m a Major in the United States Army attending the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
I wasn’t a big, fast or outstanding football player while in junior high or high school in a small Texas town. However, the lessons that football taught me have guided me through my life and while in the Army.
Football first taught me about teamwork. Football is a sport where everyone is dependent on each other in order to win and sometimes in order for everyone to survive (figuratively). We had to synchronize our efforts in order for us to make a touchdown; the proper blocking assignments, a good snap and a good handoff. None of us could do it without the other. It was inevitable that we would grow close to our teammates as it was necessary for success and in a way for self-preservation. We had each other’s back and would do anything for each other. Take for instance the linemen and their quarterback; a special kind of bound exists when that quarterback depends on them to prevent him from getting laid out by a blitzing safety.
Football also taught me the importance of physical and mental toughness. I vividly remember the two-a-day practices in the August heat, the sleds, the ropes, the logs and the linemen coach yelling at us as we went through the chutes. Most days I was physically exhausted but we would never quit; this is where I first learned what the Army calls “sucking it up” and driving on.
After I left high school, I went to college and had the typical college experience. I joined a fraternity, played intramurals and had a rather enjoyable time for the first couple of years. One day an ROTC instructor, CPT Conterras, convinced me to attend an ROTC summer camp at Fort Knox, Ky. and I figured it might be a good summer experience.
After that summer at Fort Knox, I realized how much football had really prepared me for a career in the Army. That summer camp again showed me the importance of teamwork, fitness, integrity, loyalty and selfless service. We had to be physically fit in order to accomplish the mission and not let our buddies down; we had to work together to successfully conduct an attack against the enemy; we had to push on through the pain and the sweat in order to win. Sometimes we came up short against the opposition but we would review the “game tape,” and learn from our mistakes and drive on with our mission.
Throughout the years as I led a platoon in Bosnia, a company in Kosovo and Germany and while deployed to Afghanistan I have counted and built upon these lessons football taught me some 20 years ago.
God Bless USA Football and Go Army. Beat Navy!
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