Outside the Wire by Bill Little
Honoring Former Longhorn Student Athletes, Trainers, Managers, and Coaches Who gave Their lives in the Service of our Great Country
11.09.2005 | Football Bill Little commentary: Outside the wire. It is a space where few of us, really, have had to go. They call it, “outside the wire.”
On Saturday, as we celebrate senior day and observe the final home game of a superb 2005 football season, as letter winners gather in reunion, we also pay tribute to the reason this stadium stands in the first place.
Texas Memorial Stadium was built in 1924, as a shrine to those Texans who had fought in World War I. They called it “The Great War,” and they hoped there would never be another.
But there was another. And another. And another, etc., etc., etc……..
Each year, a specific game is set aside as “Veterans Recognition Day.”
A Veterans Committee, chaired by Frank Denius, stands sentinel on the day, making sure the purpose of the stadium’s original charge is never forgotten. Denius is the ideal person to chair the committee, because he remains one of The University of Texas’ greatest supporters, and he is also one of the ten most decorated soldiers from the European theater of World War II.
Denius and the committee are hosting 75 soldiers from Fort Hood who have served in battle recently. An F-18 flyover, and a special National Anthem performance will highlight the day, and the soldiers will be honored both at the game and at a barbecue for them that will follow.
In the southeast corner of the stadium, a wreath will be placed at the Louis Jordan Flagpole in recognition of UT’s first letter winner killed in action in France in WWI.
All of this is pretty standard for this day…a day where it is important to remember the past. But it is also important to understand the impact of the present.
“Outside the wire” is the area where today, men and women of The United States of America put themselves in harm’s way for the cause of freedom……….………………………………
When David Little left Iraq (Bill Little’s son), he sent an e-mail to friends and family. “I cannot leave this place without remembering those who will not return,” he wrote. “Both friends and Marines and sailors I did not know shed their blood and gave their lives here. They believed in what they were doing. They took a stand and made a difference in their lives and are to be respected for that. They stepped up and faced death so that others would not have to, and they are to be honored for that. And they gave of themselves selflessly so that my children and yours can play in the yard, go to school, and live their lives without the constant fear of an attack from evil terrorists. They are to be thanked for that.”
