NORFOLK, Va. – It's Military Appreciation Day on Saturday when the Old Dominion football team hosts Coastal Carolina at S.B. Ballard Stadium, an always important game for ODU given the huge military presence in Hampton Roads.
It's also an important game for ODU head coach Ricky Rahne. Although he did not serve in the military, he nonetheless has a keen appreciation for what our sailors and soldiers do to protect America.
"I have a great deal of appreciation for the sacrifice that our military makes," he said. "The young lady who cuts my hair, her husband is gone for an extended period of time.
"I know as football coaches we think we're gone a lot. And I think a lot about how much my wife has to do. But at least I come home and sleep in our bed every night.
"But to not be able to do that just so that our country can stay safe and so values all of us cherish can be protected, that's amazing.
"There are people out there now defending our right to do those things. And I think that sometimes we don't appreciate that enough."
Rahne's father, Ray Rahne, served in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine, and as anyone who lived through the 1970s can attest, veterans from Vietnam at times were spat upon by demonstrators upon their return. There were no celebratory parades as occurred after World War II.
"I don't know why you'd be angry at somebody for doing what they were told to do," Rahne said. "That was nuts to me.
"My uncle was an Admiral in the Navy. He was actually stationed here in Norfolk. I was in the sixth grade the first time I came here and remember walking on an aircraft carrier.
"I think sometimes in the current political climate, where everyone is either right or wrong all the time, there is no room for gray area for anything, that you have to look at see that somebody is out there defending our ability to have those opinions."
All branches of the U.S. military will be honored on Saturday, but so will the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has its North American command center located in Norfolk. It is one of just three NATO command centers in the world.
NATO is an organization of 31 nations pledged to defend each other in time of war.
The United States and Canada are in NATO along with 28 European counties as well as Turkey, located in both Europe and Asia.
The Norfolk Joint Command Center is headed by admirals and generals from America, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Spain.
More than 200 NATO officials will attend the game and the organization will be honored at halftime.
Discounted tickets, priced at $20 apiece, are available for the military and their families. To purchase discounted tickets, CLICK HERE.
ODU Fans Asked to Bring Wrapped Toys for Monarchists Toys for Tots Drive
The Monarchists, a group of loyal ODU fans, always promote their Toys for Tots campaign before and during the Military Appreciation Game and last year, ODU fans donated $5,500 in cash and 720 toys.
That was enough to provide three or four Christmas toys each for nearly 400 children last year who otherwise might have gone without.
Virginia Beach Police Captain Harry McBrien, commander of the Oceanfront precinct, is spearheading the drive again at ODU and says his goal is to provide enough toys for 500 children. Toys for
Tots in sponsored nationally by the U.S. Marines.
McBrien, who was a master sergeant in the Marines and served two tours of duty in combat zones, has arranged for two amphibious vehicles to be on campus. They will be parked on 49th Street across from the south stadium entrance and will serve as the central location for donations.
Marines and ODU ROTC students who have chosen to serve in the Marines will circulate throughout the tailgate lots collecting toys and cash and check donations.
Two F /A-18 Hornet combat jets will do a flyover during the pregame coin toss.
McBrien is one of ODU's most ardent fans – he's attended nearly every radio coaches' show that Rahne has held – but won't be at Saturday's game.
Harry's daughter, Lauren, is getting married to Andrew Parker, who works in donor relations for James Madison, in Harrisonburg. When she told McBrien and his wife, Diana, about the wedding, he realized she had neglected to do one important thing.
"She didn't check the football schedule before scheduling her wedding," Harry said of Lauren.
He can't even watch the game on TV as both the game and wedding are set to start at 3:30 p.m.
ODU fans could provide him a nice wedding gift by donating generously on Saturday.
Halloween Party Helped Relax the Mood
Sunday was a day of letting go of a difficult 30-27 loss at No. 25 JMU for the Monarchs and looking forward to the Saturday's home game against Coastal Carolina.
And a Halloween Party held at the L.R. Hill Sports Center after practice helped lighten the mood. Wives, girlfriends and children all dressed up for Halloween.
Rahne and his wife, Jen, came in skeleton outfits. Their oldest son, Ryder, came dressed as Fred from Scooby Doo.
"I mean, he looks kind of like Fred, right?" Rahne said.
Jake, their youngest son, wore a blue tuxedo that mimicked the one worn by the character Harry Dunne in the movie Dumb and Dumber.
Jen Snodgrass, wife of Director of Sports Performance Coach Chad Snodgrass, baked more than a hundred cupcakes and the players all got goodie bags from the wives of assistant coaches.
"It was nice to see the coaches' kids out there, the coaches wives and girlfriends," quarterback Grant Wilson said. "It made the emotions a little better than they were at practice. It was just good to see the kids super happy."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU Football Coach Ricky Rahne Has a Deep Appreciation for the Military and Freedoms They Protect
