Cornhuskers

moreluck

golden ticket member

Good to read even if you aren't a Husker fan





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Just fyi, this is true. It appeared in the Omaha newspaper.

Subject: THE "HUSKER" FLAG

Go Big Red.............White and Blue!!!

Interesting read...For those who don't know - The Huskers have been
carrying an American Flag onto the field after their tunnel walk at the
start of this year's first three games. Here's the story behind it.



Subject: The Husker Flag of 2011
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.

That's the flag you saw Jared Crick and Austin Jones carry out to the field
the past two home games.

"He let us know that that flag bagged a lot of terrorists,'' said NU senior
safety Austin Cassidy, who helped carry the flag out for the season
opener. "He told us to do what we wanted with the flag, just don't let it
touch the ground."

The Unity Council met with Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Jamrog and
decided to make the flag the Huskers' flag for 2011. The team will carry
it out to the field in both home and away games. During games, it's on the
team sideline, in a stand. During the week, it hangs in the locker room.

"It's a cool reminder that there are a lot bigger things going on," Cassidy
said. "His talk was one of the best talks I've ever heard in my life. We
have some very proud Americans on our team. They are very patriotic. That
fired up everyone."


 

brownedout

Well-Known Member
Nice story more. Thanks for sharing. The flag that flys at my center was used in Iraq, and presented to our then center manager by a former OMS who was Air National Guard.
 
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