Every time Morgan Ryan prepares to disembark from his ship, he stops before the gangplank, turns solemnly toward the American flag and slowly salutes it, his hand steady at his brow for what seems like an eternity.
Every time he returns to his ship, he repeats the routine. It's not a reflex, and it's more than just protocol.
Old Glory means the world to a U.S. Navy seaman. Its place is permanent in his heart. It stands for respect, honor and commitment to his country, one he will defend with his life, without reservation or regret.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Morgan Ryan looks like a slice of apple pie, but there's a mean slice of sharp cheddar cheese on top of it. He holds true to his commitment, focused on his role as an electronics technician whose specialized work involves surface search radar and landing radar for jets on the USS Ronald Reagan, where he has served for 1-1/2 years. He hopes to someday join the special forces unit.
Serious stuff for a serious young man; he doesn't turn 21 until next month.
And Ryan is also serious about his football.
Ryan hails from Minden, Neb. ? a town of 3,000 nicknamed the "Christmas City" because of its 95-year-old December tradition of illuminating the local courthouse with more than 10,000 lights.
Like most Nebraskans, Ryan maintains an allegiance to the University of Nebraska football team.
Of course, as a serviceman, Ryan rarely has a chance to watch the team in person. But as luck would have it, his beloved Cornhuskers came to him.
On Dec. 28, players for both Nebraska and the Washington Huskies had lunch on Ryan?s ship as part of the teams? activities for the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
The Huskers game-week visit to the carrier is just one of their connections to the armed services.
Tyrone Fahie was a walk-on member of Nebraska's football team who served in the U.S. Navy for six years before joining. He has been a member of the team for five years and just completed his senior season.
Nebraska fans purchased and donated 1,685 Holiday Bowl tickets to the "Huskers for Heroes" program. Those tickets were given to active Naval and Marine military personnel stationed in San Diego last week.
In addition to those donated tickets, the University of Nebraska also gave 500 tickets to the U.S. Marines group that displayed the large American flag during pre-game festivities at the Holiday Bowl.
It would be one of the best days of Ryan?s life ? partly because of a promise made by Nebraska coach Bo Pelini.
Cmdr. Thom Burke called the visit a huge morale booster for the crew before they embark on a seven-month deployment. But it would mean even more for two sailors, because Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian and Pelini came bearing gifts.
Sarkisian went first, giving a field pass and a Huskies jersey to a crew member from Seattle. And then it was Pelini's turn.
Pelini matched Sarkisian's field pass and jersey, then announced he would allow a chosen sailor to call one play during the Holiday Bowl. The luncheon attendees went wild with hoots and applause; someone was going to live out a dream.
And then Morgan Ryan's name was called. His day had been made. Make that his year.
"I was just real shocked," Ryan said with a smile. "(Pelini) told me, 'Congratulations, we'll see you on Thursday (game day).' "
Ryan didn't spend a lot of time devising a special play, although a couple of his buddies suggested the "Fumble-rooski."
Instead of focusing on a play he might call, Ryan studied "Washington's defense, looking for a weakness." And while he didn't tell any of his friends back home about his swag, he did call his mom in Minden to make sure she was going to watch the game. He wanted her to be surprised, so he didn?t tell her he was going to call a play.
On game day, Dec. 30, Ryan didn't wear his Navy-issued dress blues to the Holiday Bowl. This young man, whose homespun roots and commitment to the military are as blinding as the gleaming steel hull of the nuclear-powered, super aircraft carrier on which he is stationed, was a civilian ? a civilian with a huge love for his Cornhuskers, a Midwest football fan jacked up on Big Red football.
"I had on jeans, my Converse Chuck Taylors, a Nebraska shirt and hat," he said, grinning.
The Holiday Bowl didn't go well for Nebraska, and when Washington took the lead for good in what became a 19-7 victory, Ryan had a feeling he wasn't going to call a play.
Did he think to approach Pelini and ask for his shot?
"I kinda stayed away from him . . . he wasn't happy," Ryan said. "I did not ask (to call a play)."
Unfortunately for Ryan, he never got the opportunity. Nor, as it turns out, did Pelini ever intend to honor his commitment.
"It was a joke, ma'am," the sour head coach barked at me in his Holiday Bowl postgame news conference.
cont.
