Hilton Head 4th Annual Dinner for the Heros Honors Military Leaders
Two gridiron warriors turned military leaders step up for those still fighting battles at home
Story by Barry Kaufman
Stufflebeem stands on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in his flight gear on Jan. 12, 2003. Stufflebeem spent nearly four decades as a naval aviator, combat leader and senior strategist in the U.S. Navy. ©U.S. Navy , Michael W. Pendergrass
In those first dark days following the atrocities of Sept. 11, 2001, everyone felt a sense of dread. No one knew what would happen next, what this would mean for our nation or how our government would respond.
When the answers finally arose, they came from U.S. Navy Admiral John “Boomer” Stufflebeem. He took to the podium at the Pentagon to share with reporters what was known. Before anyone could be embedded alongside fighting men and women oversees, it was his daily briefings that kept us informed of how the United States was fighting back.
“I got put into that position because of the work that I was doing in the Pentagon for Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld,” said Stufflebeem. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… it’s easier being shot at in combat than it is to deal with the press pool.”
Stufflebeem was a calming presence on our TVs for those first uncertain months. But then he was a person accustomed to pressure. Prior to his time at the podium, even before his time as a naval aviator and leader, he was a standout football player at the Naval Academy, courted by several NFL teams.
“My position coach during my senior year at Navy was Steve Belichick. I learned from Steve that a number of NFL teams were looking at me because I played at other positions,” he said. “I was a tight end, a flanker and sometimes a wideout deep in the depth chart. So I would be kind of a multi-talent player they might look at.”
Unfortunately, Stufflebeem would not hear his name called during the draft. He thought his pro football career was over until he got a call from his sophomore year coach, Rick Forzano, who was coaching the Detroit Lions. As luck would have it, Stufflebeem’s next duty station was not far from the Motor City.
“I sent an official notification up the chain of command within the Navy that I wanted to play football. Some people said no, but at the end of the chain it was recognized that what I would be doing is moonlighting. And there’s no policy that prohibits anybody from moonlighting,” he said. “So I was a part-time football player and a part-time naval officer as a result.”
He spent three years playing in the preseason for the Lions before he was stationed at MCAS Miramar in San Diego. The Chargers came calling but found out he was still technically property of the Lions.
“I just thought that would make it too hard, so I just zipped that chapter closed,” he said. “But I learned that it was a business, not a sport. I never sat in front of the TV to play ‘I wonder if’ games with myself. And it put a little extra change in my pocket that my much smarter wife used to help put my kids through college.”
The NFL’s loss was the Navy’s gain, as Stufflebeem was able to focus on a military career that would take him all the way to the Pentagon and the White House. “You can leave the Pentagon for two or three years and come back to a similar job, and not much has changed, so that part of it became easy,” he said. “The White House was a much more difficult animal. It was not hard to be an aide to President (George H.W. Bush), but it was hard to survive in that political environment.”
Having seen the struggles the veterans face, he’s committed himself in the last few years to helping them. Along with his own foundation, he’s very involved with Operations Patriots FOB, the Lowcountry-based organization that provides veterans and first responders a place to commune and find camaraderie with those who have strained under the pressure of what they’ve been called upon to do.
“In the next 24 hours, we’re gong to lose 18 more veterans to suicide,” Stufflebeem said. “We know how to break people, we just don’t know how to fix them. And because the federal government doesn’t take the responsibility to do it, it falls to the private sector – to organizations like OpFob.”
Stufflebeem will be one of two keynote speakers at the 4th annual Dinner for the Heroes on Nov. 8 at the Hilton Beachfront Resort and Spa. Proceeds from the event support the upkeep of OpFob’s 268 acres and the wide range of programs it provides each year to thousands of veterans, active-duty service members, first responders and their families, all offered free of charge.
Courage under fire
Joining Stufflebeem on the dais at the 4th annual Dinner for the Heroes on Nov. 8 will be Rocky Bleier, a fellow veteran of both the armed forces and the NFL. A legendary running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers during its dominant run of four Super Bowls in the late ‘70s, his story is all the more inspiring because of the obstacles he overcame. Drafted to fight in Vietnam after just one season in Pittsburgh, he was severely wounded in an ambush and thought he might never play again. His struggle to return to the gridiron is a tale of courage and sacrifice, instilling in him lessons that he shares with audiences around the country.
Support the mission
What: 4th annual Dinner for the Heroes
When: 6-9 p.m., Nov. 8
Where: Hilton Beachfront Resort & Spa Hilton Head Island
Details: Tickets are $300, with every dollar supporting Operation Patriots FOB and its free programs for veterans, active-duty service members, first responders and their families. Keynote speakers include Admiral John “Boomer” Stufflebeem (ret.) and Rocky Bleier, whose service and sports legacies will make this an inspiring evening. Learn more at opfob.org or email craigostergard@yahoo.com.
