Photo By Sgt. James Larimer | Members of the color guard perform with the U.S. Army All-American Band during the...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO – Today, the East broke the West’s three-year winning streak taking the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl (AAB) 27-17. The AAB is the nation’s premier high school football game and has helped showcase the nation’s premier high school athletes – athletes who have gone on to achieve college, National Football League and personal greatness – and talented band members, some of whom have gone on to become U.S. Army Soldiers.
Each year, over 100 of the nation’s top high school football players and marching band musicians and color guard members are selected to participate in the AAB.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Scott Morcomb, commanding general for the Army Reserve Aviation Command and the 2017 AAB Task Force Commander, said the participants are chosen not only because of their incredible talents, but also because they’re young men and women who embody the Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage, qualities needed for America’s future leaders.
The game capped off a week of activities that aimed to connect America’s people to America’s Army, to demonstrate the Army’s latest innovations in technology and its ongoing commitment to the development of America’s future leaders.
Before the game, Gen. David G. Perkins, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Commanding General gave a pep talk to the West team.
“You’re going to be on national TV,” he said. “People are looking at you. They’re passing judgement and have high expectations. But the good thing is because of all the criteria we went through to get you here, we have no doubt, no doubt whatsoever that you will meet the expectations and represent the values and standards of the Army.”
“You will meet and exceed the expectations and the values of being an All-American. And we find through you, through your performance and just the way you conduct yourselves as young Americans people say, ‘You know what? I have faith in our country. I have faith in the future because you are the future.’’
After leaving the locker room, the players entered the field through a tunnel of 26 Soldier mentors. The Soldier mentors were chosen based on excellence in their personal and professional endeavors and were paired with AAB participants to share their stories of perseverance, selfless-service and excellence.
Before the players took the field, AAB featured the time-honored tradition of swearing in a group of future soldiers, which was followed by two Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets reciting the oath of commissioned officers.
As the newly commissioned officers and enlisted Soldiers departed, the Army Drill Team marched crisply onto the field to exhibit their talents to the crowd. Next, the All-American Band played the national anthem as more than 40,000 spectators stood to face the colors.
As the crowd took their seats, the oldest living World War II veteran, former U. S. Army Sgt.110-year-old Richard Overton was escorted to the center of the field to present the game ball.
The hard work and dedication of everyone involved led to another successful AAB. The 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl planning and selection process will begin in February to search for the next roster of All-Americans.
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2017 00:49 |
| Story ID: | 219522 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Army All-American Bowl showcases nation's top talent, by SGT James Larimer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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