The Marines were in a truck, performing convoy security about 250 yards off a road, churning through soft sand in the Iraqi desert.
“Stop!” screamed Rod Richards, a gunnery sergeant.
Richards saw hundreds of discs spread across the sand.
We had driven into a landmine field.
Richards thought some were antitank mines. Others he called “toe poppers.” They would blow your foot off.
Then, I saw something I’ll never forget.
Richards hopped out of the truck without fear or hesitation; he started digging under the disc to see if it was connected to an explosive. I was covering the war in Iraq, embedded with a unit of Marines. I traveled with them across the border on a 7-ton truck, ate MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) with them, slept in a tent just like they did, and we all sat shoulder to shoulder on a crate of explosives.
As Richards dug under the disc, I was so tired, sleep-deprived, miserably hot and emotionally drained that I didn’t have any fear. I had come to accept whatever might happen. At that moment, either you live or you die.
This particular disc was a decoy. Richards cleared a path and led the truck to safety.
It’s the most heroic thing I’ve ever witnessed.
I can’t tell you the respect and gratitude I have for anyone who has served in the military.
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And I was thinking about that on Wednesday afternoon — the eve of Veterans Day — as Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell held a press conference.
Because he reminds me of some of the military men and women I have met over the last 20 years.
The focus. The toughness. The single-minded determination. And the leadership.
He even looked the part, wearing a hat with a digital camouflage pattern and an American flag on the side.
“I come from a long line of military,” Campbell said. “When you think you’re having a bad day, you think about being over there in the mountains of Afghanistan, you’re curled up on a rock or being shot at. So yeah, I really appreciate them, and I’ve got a lot of respect for those men and women who have served.”
Today, on this Veteran’s Day, I want to honor anyone who served.
But also their families.
Because serving in the military is a family affair.
After writing about the war in Iraq, I came home and covered far too many military funerals, from Michigan to Arlington National Cemetery. I went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where I met several soldiers recovering from injuries.
And countless family members.
I have come to believe that military traits flow through families, passed from generation to generation.
The patriotism. The selflessness. The toughness. The willingness to serve others. And the inherent ability to lead.
Those traits should be in high demand in the workplace; that’s why the Detroit Pistons hosted a special hiring event Wednesday, bringing more than 100 veterans together with about 70 companies.
I mean, how cool is that?
And so is this: Thursday night, the Wings’ game against the Washington Capitals at Little Caesars Arena has been designated as “Military Appreciation Night.”
Which is fantastic.
‘You just got to keep plugging along’
Wednesday was also the 246th anniversary of the formation of the Marine Corps.
While Campbell was coaching the Lions, his father, Larry, was in central Texas, working in a pasture and shredding weeds.
He heard from a couple of his buddies with whom he had served in the Marines, and they celebrated the birthday.
“It’s just kind of a brotherhood, you know,” Larry Campbell said.
Both of Dan Campbell’s grandfathers served in WWII — one in the Army, the other in the Marines. During the Korean War, his great-uncle was a pilot in the Navy. Larry served in the Marines during the Vietnam era, and Campbell’s older brother served in the Army during Desert Storm.
“So anyway, there’re just a lot of us who have served over the years,” Larry said.
“What’s the biggest thing you learned in the military?” I asked Larry.
“I’d already learned it from my dad, mainly, the discipline and just keep, keeping on,” he said. “Don’t give up. You just got to keep plugging along and you can’t quit.”
That sounds like how Campbell is approaching his job coaching the Lions.
I am not, in any way, equating the military and sports.
As someone who has spent time in a war zone, I try to avoid using military terms in sports; I have a hard time calling a sports figure a hero.
Because I’ve met true heroes. I saw it in my Marines.
But I see parallels between sports and the military, especially when it comes to leadership.
“Dan is just a natural born leader,” Larry said.
“He looks like a Marine to me,” I said.
“He had an opportunity to go play ball,” Larry said. “If he wasn’t going to school, I’m sure he would probably been in the military.”
Larry paused.
“I was probably a little rough on him growing up,” Larry said. “But anyway, like I used to say in the Marine Corps, nobody wants to hear any excuses. Do your job the right way to the best of your ability. He got that ingrained.”
Those traits are at the center of Dan Campbell, passed down generation to generation from this military family tree. That’s how he is leading this team.
This son of a son of a Marine.
On this day we celebrate veterans, I want to express my gratitude to all who have served, as well as their families.
We can’t thank you enough.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.