From fighter jet flyovers to military performances at halftime shows, the National Football League and U.S. military have shared more than 40 years of Super Bowl history.

The tradition continues Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla., during Super Bowl XLIII, with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, performing the ceremonial coin toss for the Arizona Cardinals’ and Pittsburgh Steelers’ team captains.

“It is a privilege to represent our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen in the coin-toss ceremony,” Petraeus told American Forces Press Service today in an e-mail. “And it is an honor to thank the NFL commissioner and the teams and players for all that they have done in recent years to recognize the service of our troopers and their families.”

The Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration squadron is set for a pregame flyover, and an all-service U.S. Special Operations Command color guard is planned to present the nation’s colors during the game’s national anthem.

“The NFL has had a longstanding tradition of supporting the military,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told American Forces Press Service during a phone interview. “We have a great appreciation for what the military does and feel honored to include the military in the Super Bowl.”

Throughout the years, the Super Bowl has become one of the most highly rated televised events of the year. This year, Super Bowl XLIII will be broadcast to more than 230 countries to a potential worldwide audience of more than 1 billion viewers, including military members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“[The NFL] feels that the 70,000 fans attending the Super Bowl this year should be cheering louder for the military than the two teams playing,” he said. “It is, indeed, very important for the NFL to look for every opportunity to support the troops.” (continue reading…)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2009 – U.S. Marines raised the American flag yesterday during the dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker declared “a new era” for Iraq and the Iraqi-U.S. relationship.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and almost 1,000 invited guests looked on as the embassy’s Marine security detachment raised the red, white and blue over the largest U.S. Embassy in the world, with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division Band playing the U.S. national anthem.

The compound, set on 104 acres along the banks of the Tigris River in central Baghdad, includes 27 modern office, housing and support buildings in tones that blend with the desert landscape. Officials said the scale of the new complex reflects the importance of the U.S.-Iraqi bilateral relationship.

More than 1,200 U.S. diplomats, servicemembers and government officials and staff from 14 federal agencies will work and live on the compound, embassy officials said. Their tasks and missions run the gamut: supporting local elections, helping to fight corruption, helping develop Iraq’s energy and transportation sectors, strengthening the rule of law, providing security training and promoting educational and cultural exchange. In addition, 240 servicemembers assigned to Multinational Force Iraq are based at the embassy.

Construction of the compound began in 2005 and was completed in 2008 at a cost of $592 million, officials said.

Talabani called the new building a sign of how far the U.S.-Iraqi relationship has come. “This building is not only a compound for the embassy, but a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples of Iraq and America,” he said.

Have you ever wondered about the process of how our fallen heroes were transported? I came across this letter from a Fallen Hero Escort written in April 2004. The letter/journal of USMC Lt Col Srtobl and his escort of PFC Chance Phelp’s remains from Dover to Dubois, Wyoming is a very touching story. This was early in the war effort and the story shows that even before the Holly Amendment, assured they are now brought home on charter jets, our Heroes were treated with dignity and respect during their final journy home.

This is his true story and soon to be released film from HBO films, it comes out in February of 2009 and stars Keven Bacon as USMC Lt Col Srtobl

The film is a narrative by a Fallen Hero Escort and although it is about only one specific Fallen Hero, PFC Chance Phelps, it tells a global story that will touch us all.

reed LT Col Srtobl’s letter (long but worth reading) here.

http://www.everythingiknowiswrong.com/2004/04/taking_chance.html

you can view a touching film clip of “Taking Chance” here

http://www.hbo.com/events/takingchance/