The Army of One Will Never Be Greater Than The Army of Many

Caleb Campbell is more than just a soldier. He’s an officer. As a second Lieutenant in the United States Army he spends most of his days doing an unusual job when you think of the military in a time of war. He roams the football field surrounded by piping whistles. Unfortunately for Campbell he is on the wrong football field, and the whistle is in his mouth instead of being blown at him.

The tale is somewhat of a feel-good story turned nightmare. A story that takes backroom politics to another level. If you haven’t heard by now Caleb Campbell was one of the better Safeties in Division I football just one year ago. A Cadet at the West Point Military Academy, Caleb finished his senior season with 97 tackles (finished top 10 all time at Army). He was selected to the East-West Shrine Game highlighting the nations best collegiate football players, and attended the NFL Scouting Combine where he ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds. He has the makings of a pro.

Due to the “Alternative Service Option” (ASO) (an Army policy that allows for an athlete at the academy to pursue a career in professional sports and serve as a recruiter rather than assuming traditional military duties upon graduation), Campbell was going to get to realize his dream of doing battle on the gridiron rather than on the war torn streets of Bagdad, if he got drafted. “If…” Such a powerful word for only two letters isn’t it?

Campbell signed with an agent (Jimmy Sexton) and made his way to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall for the draft. He was national news. The blue-collar kid from the small hometown was staying home from the war. The "war opposers" said we saved one. The soldiers past and present cheered for “one of their own” to be the first athlete drafted from West Point in over 10 years. It was a win-win situation and Caleb Campbell was the beneficiary.

When day two of the draft rolled around Campbell was sitting tight waiting to get a phone call. It would only take one call to change his life. Then, in the 7th and final round the phone rang and the end to every apprehension was over. The Detroit Lions had taken Caleb with the 218th overall pick. His future was clear. He would sign a contract with the Lions and serve as an Army recruiter in the Detroit area to make good on his four-year commitment to the United States Army.

Caleb went through mini-camp and turned some heads doing it. He showed up at training camp in Allen Park, Michigan with one thought on his mind; making an impression on the minds of the coaches. If he gets cut he is out of shoulder-pads and strapping up army boots quicker than you can whistle “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

Then the phone rang a second time. It wasn’t supposed to ring a second time. Caleb Campbell heard his agent’s voice on the other end and the news was bad. The Army had changed the ASO policy. He was being called back into traditional military duty.

The policy changed. No explanation. But, some stuff went down behind closed doors that was backroom politics at its worst. An example was being made and it was being made of Caleb Campbell. Just like that Campbell went from being a Lion to a Soldier again.

So was Campbell the promising young officer put on the front lines of a combat zone to protect his country from terror? Was he stationed, deployed or otherwise sent off to do what he was trained for the last four years to do? Nope. He will serve this season as a graduate assistant football coach with Army. Instead of playing in the NFL and recruiting other young people to serve their country through the positive PR he was creating he is standing on a secluded football field as a graduate assistant doing his country a "greater good".

I love those Army commercials that talk about reaching your potential, being an army of one and gaining life experience that will prepare you for any job you want. Yep, Caleb is sure reaching his potential sitting and waiting for 2010 when he can request release from active duty.

Here is the bottom line. The army made a spectacle of Caleb Campbell to prove their power. The Army of one will never be greater than the army of many and don’t you forget it Caleb Campbell and anyone who was looking up to you. They sent a message loud and clear to every young man considering the military academy. You are meaningless to us. Your future, your well-being and the potential you possess are inconsequential. But we expect you to abandon all for the sake of this uniform.

The real thing that happened here is simple. The army gave themselves a black eye, and messed over Caleb Campbell in the process. Caleb still faces the chance of being put into combat, but says he plans to keep working and will be ready to play in 2010 if he gets the opportunity (Again with this word "if"). That is anything but easy to do, but I sure hope someone gives him that chance. You deserve it Caleb, and thank you for your service to our country even if they don’t deserve it sometimes.