The 2026 NFL season is underway; shift colors

Military-Industrial Complex

While serving onboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-72) in 1994, I set sail on my first of six total Western Pacific deployments. The night before getting UNDERWAY. In addtion the NFL is officially UNDERWAY as of March 11th. Shift colors.

My father, David, served in the Army in Germany. Growing up, America’s Team was always on the television. The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to veterans and their impact on and off the field. Today, we focus on a handful of veterans who served on America’s Team.

On December 7, 1986, Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry received serious death threats during a game against the Los Angeles Rams.

It’s important to give these men their flowers for the duty to serve. Global current events have put those in the ranks actively serving in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf center stage.

Tom Landry served as a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot during World War II, flying 30 combat missions as a B-17 Flying Fortress co-pilot with the Eighth Air Force. Based in England, he survived a crash landing in Belgium after running out of fuel.

WAR is a business. Our sons and daughters are on the front lines. Over a dozen have paid the ultimate price. If you pay taxes, you support the Military Industrial Complex. If there is no BAD GUY, the military has zero mission. All military recruiting stations are currently open.

In 1960 he hired head coach Tom Landry and chief scout Gil Brandt. By the mid-1960s, the three men had built the Cowboys into an elite team.

Before TOM, There was “TEX”

Texas Earnest Schramm Jr interrupted his education at the University of Texas to serve as an officer in the United States Air Force during World War II. He was stationed in Hawaii.

He was part of a unit responsible for flying personnel and supplies to troops across the Pacific Theater. He served four years before beginning his Hall of Fame football career.

He joined the newly formed Dallas Cowboys in 1960, grooming “America’s Team” into one of the greatest dynasties in National Football League history.  Dallas put together a string of 20 straight winning seasons from 1966 to 1985.

Eddie LeBaron was wounded twice and was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” for heroism.

The Littlest NFL Quarterback

Eddie LeBaron was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 1950 NFL Draft. Following his service in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, he debuted with the Redskins in the 1952 season and won the NFL Rookie of the Year award.

After some convincing by the Cowboys to come out of retirement. He scored their first-ever touchdown in their first exhibition game against San Francisco in Seattle in 1960. The ‘LITTLEST GENERAL” was America’s Team’s very first-ever Quarterback.

He set a record for the shortest touchdown pass in league history, with his throw to receiver Dick Bielski from the 2-inch line against the Redskins on October 9, 1960. At 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), he was one of the shortest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.

Chad completed 45 successful combat missions during active duty. He returned home to play football for the Dallas Cowboys in 1992.

Rules Of Engagement

In 1992, Chad Hennings left the U.S. Air Force and joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 26-year-old rookie, playing on special teams and quickly becoming a key reserve on one of the best defensive line rotations in the NFL.

President and general manager Tex Schramm had also secured his rights by signing him to a multi-year contract with a $25,000 bonus in 1988. While his play on the field was very good, his attitude, character, and leadership were also valuable to the Cowboys teams.

He contributed to the top-ranked defenses of the early nineties and to winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. His self-help book for men, “Rules of Engagement: Finding Friendship, Faith, and Strength in a Disconnected World,” was published in 2009.

Known as “Roger The Dodger” for his scrambling abilities, “Captain America” as quarterback of America’s Team, and also as “Captain Comeback”

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Roger Staubach’s most famous moment was the “Hail Mary pass” in the 1975 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. It landed in the hands of my all-tme favorite Cowboy Drew Pearson, the “Original 88” who Staubach personally inducted into the 2021 NFL Hall of Fame.

Roger led the Cowboys to 23 game-winning drives (15 comebacks) during the fourth quarter, with 17 of those in the final two minutes or in overtime, hence the name ‘Captain Comeback.’ He chose to volunteer for a one-year tour of duty in South Vietnam. He served as a Supply Corps officer for the Navy at the Chu Lai Base Area until 1967.

“Roger the Dodger” is the last player from a military academy to win the Heisman Trophy. While still in the Navy in 1968, he attended the Cowboys’ rookie camp, using most of his annual military leave. In November 2018, Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something… hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication. ~ Roger Staubach

Staubach’s the last member of the Naval Academy to win the Heisman Trophy and the first player to win both the Heisman and Super Bowl MVP.

Conclusion

War is never the answer, but it is a business much like the NFL. It’s necessary. Every week, players prepare to go into battle on the gridiron. Meanwhile, men and women in the ranks are currently being deployed to the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Every November, the NFL showcases its support for veterans and those currently serving in the uniform of this nation throught their Salute To Service campaign. I felt it was best to share this with you today. If you support WAR, visit your local recruiting office and pay your taxes.

Pictured (Far Right) with my Navy Recruiters at Langston University in Langston Oklahoma 2014 as the Division Leading Chief.

My goal for each deployment never changed. Return home alive with every Sailor I departed with. I’m fortunate to share these 5 veterans with you today from Dallas Cowboys history files. Further reinforcing the name America’s Team within the ranks on and off the gridiron.

Traveling globally kept me enlisted in the Navy. It helped me see things from a different perspective. We are all actors acting on the world’s stage. Do you know/ understand your role? Those of us below in the WEPS Department G-3 Division understood the assignment.

“Underway, shift colors” is a U.S. Navy command signaling the transition from being docked/anchored to moving at sea. G-3 DIV, FEB 1994.

Most Importantly

Which veterans will emerge to impact the game over the next decade? One thing is for sure: veterans have and continue to impact the league both on and off the field. Let’s honor 2026 as the Salute to Service NFL Season together. Men and Women have paid the ultimate price for this country.

Which of these 5 veterans did you find most surprising? I will answer all comments below. Like veterans, NFL players deal with mental health challenges off the gridiron. Be kind to people. You never know what battles they’re fighting in their mind.

Many will return home from the battlefield to discover they’re still at war with the world and themselves. Veterans are strong, but they need help too. Tomorrow is never promised. ASK 4 HELP, as Dak Prescott taught me. Don’t become another statistic. ASK 4 HELP.

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