Gotta feel for this guy

Yes and no. If the military HAD been allowing guys to come out & play that's one thing, but otherwise it's just a bad pick by the Lions. They should have known the guy would have a job that he was liable for. I think of Roger Staubach. From the Wiki article on him: "He was a 10th round draft pick in the 1964 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, but due to his military commitment, did not begin playing until 1969 as a 27 year old rookie. He was also draftd by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 10th round of AFL draft. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Staubach could have requested an assignment in the States but he chose to volunteer for a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam where he served as a supply officer for the United States Navy until 1967. He spent the rest of his Naval career in the United States, playing football on various Naval service teams to prepare for his future career in the NFL." So - draw from that what you will I'm sure he's everything we need from our military leaders. You don't get into that place without being the top of the crop. But it just seems that the precedent has been set way back.

I wrote this on my blog on 24 April: "Hero? I think not. I have no idea why anyone would celebrate this young man's fortune. Having served ten years myself, I feel like Caleb Campbell is shirking his responsibility. Many people are trying to compare him to Pat Tillman, and nothing could be further from the truth. Pat Tillman left his contract to go serve his country. Campbell is dodging his duty that he signed up for to go play football. Harsh? Yes. The fact is that Campbell went to West Point. He signed up to be an officer in the United States Army. Your tax dollars paid to house, educate, and train him to serve and defend this country. Now, he can take all that, and make a living in the NFL. Other athletes attend state schools on scholarship, but the athletic programs and merchandise offset that cost. At Army, this is not the case. He still has to make the roster, but unless he fails, he won't be in any army I was a part of. The US Army says he'll be a great recruiting tool. Really? Showing people they can sign up and then not actually live up to their end of the deal? I'm all for someone making vast amounts of money playing in the NFL; as long as they don't already have a commitment to serve their country. I couldn't believe the people at the draft chanting "U-S-A-U-S-A". This man is not any hero. He's someone that might renege on his own word. The US Army has a motto: "Duty, Honor, Country". I guess he missed that class. " Now, the Army heas recanted. Bravo. The army/navy, etc. does much more than fight in Iraq. There are humanitarian missions, Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard rescues, etc. Iraq is not all the military does. Just because that's all you see on TV, that's not the whole story. You can serve the country that paid for your education in many ways. Just because he is at West Point, doesn't mean that's he's wasting away. Plus, he only has to serve 2 years. Most officers are required to serve 4.

the timing sucks ass, and the reason is unjust. But, they corrected a wrong in my eyes. As far as the other services claiming the Army had an advantage; they're right. A soldier, sailor, marine, etc should all be equal, no matter what service. I do agree that this is harsh on the man, but it is the deserved outcome.