Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Rams take time out to remember veterans

Several players have family members who have served in military

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams center Jason Brown believes Veteran's Day should be celebrated more often than one day a year.

"It's just like Thanksgiving and Christmas,'' Brown said. "We're supposed to be thankful year round, we're supposed to be giving year round. Veterans Day -- you just don't honor our veterans one day a year. You're supposed to do it year round.''

Brown has a special appreciation for the sacrifices made by veterans. His older brother, 27-year-old Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II, was killed during a mortar attack on Sept. 20, 2003, in Abu Gareeb, Iraq.

Brown said he was close to his older brother even through there was a seven-year difference in their ages.

"He definitely helped to raise me,'' Brown said. "Everyone who is familiar with older brothers, he beat me up a lot when I was a kid, and whenever we watched television, I had no say so ... in anything. That was my big brother.''

Brown keeps a photograph of his brother taped up in his locker.

"I think about that every day,'' Brown said of how his brother gave his life for his country. "I can't complain about anything.''

Brown got a lesson in being grateful for what you have from his mother less than two months before his brother was killed.

Brown was bellyaching about having to go through a rough football season at the University of North Carolina.

"I was complaining, harping on things that weren't going my way,'' Brown said. "I was being selfish. I was waiting for my mother to give a response, and she never gave me a response. I said, 'Mom, is everything all right.' She said, 'You just need to shut up.' I said, 'OK, that's not the response I was looking for.' Then she said it again, 'You just need to shut up because none of what you are going through right now will ever compare to the sacrifice of what your brother is going through in Iraq.'

"And, she was right. My brother, he was dodging bullets and in harm's way, putting his life on the line every single day. The same thing that tens of thousands of our troops, and the hundreds of thousands of our vets have done in the past. We like to think football is a tough sport. A lot of the fans would like to think that football is a grueling: We hit pretty hard. You know what, football isn't hard at all when you put things in perspective. Nothing that we do in football will compare to that sacrifice.''

On Wednesday after practice, the Rams had a moment of silence in honor of all veterans and all troops presently serving in the Middle East.

Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe led the team in a short prayer.

"They're the ones who protect our freedom on a daily basis,'' Atogwe said. "I just asked God to protect them, to bless them and their families and keep them free from all hurt or harm.''

Though many of the same terms are used in football and war, things like bomb and blitz, Atogwe said there is no comparison between the two.

"That's real life and death over there,'' Atogwe said. "We're playing a game here that sometimes they use a lot of analogies for war-like situations, but that's real. This is fantasy, this is for fun.''

Rams defensive end Leonard Little has an older brother, Lamont Hughes, serving in Afghanistan.

Little said he keeps in touch with his brother through e-mail, but he often fears for his safety.

"He tells me not to worry about it,'' Little said. "I try my best not to worry about it, but I can't help it. He is my big brother, so I can't help but think about what is going on over there.''

Little said his brother is scheduled for a 30-day leave in December and he hopes his brother will be able to catch a Rams game late in the season.

Rams rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis' grandfather served in World War II and his older brother, Joey, served in Iraq.

Laurinaitis was in high school when his brother went to Baghdad, but he remembers how it effected his whole family.

"It's a scary time,'' Laurinaitis said. "He wrote you letters saying that there are mortars going off every night ... just keep praying for me. You can never really comprehend it until you actually have a family member over there.''

The Rams will hold a "Salute to America's Veterans'' during their game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

For every ticket purchased this week, the Rams will donate one ticket to the military.

All fans entering the Edward Jones Dome will receive Boeing-Rams "dog tags."

The National Anthem will be performed by Generald Wilson of the U.S. Navy, and at halftime, there will be a special Military Pass in Review led by Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base.