Ex-Special Forces parachute jumpers bring motivation to Lehigh student-athletes

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — For Dean Colton, the life message being imparted was nothing new, but nonetheless vitally important.

The Lehigh University fifth-year defensive lineman and his Mountain Hawks teammates listened with rapt attention after retired members of the U.S. Special Forces parachuted onto campus Wednesday afternoon and later shared lessons of success that translate from the battlefield to the football field.

• Members of the Lehigh University football team were addressed by six retired members of the U.S. Special Forces
• The veterans spoke about the importance of teamwork, accountability, goals and commitment — traits they emphasized apply to football, the military and life
• Lehigh graduate and businessman Brent Willey pitched the veterans' visit to the university

After the four veterans — now members of the civilian FROG-X Parachute Team — floated down upon a field on the Goodman Campus, they gathered inside Stabler Arena to begin the most important part of their visit.

The veterans imparted to the football players lessons about leadership and teamwork, about accountability and goals, and about the importance of placing one’s focus not on self but rather the team.
Lehigh Sky Dive“I was raised by my grandpa who was in the Green Berets,” said Colton, who is from Atlanta. “He taught me all about teamwork and taking care of and relying on the guy to your left and right. He taught me about caring for your brother as you’d have them care for you.

“I’ve heard these lessons before. These are the lessons that will help you succeed — whether it’s football, in the military like these veterans or in life.”

The FROG-X team consisted of six veterans from the Navy, Army and Marine Corps. Four of them parachuted from 4,000 feet, with one holding a U.S. flag and another a Lehigh flag.

After their perfect landing, many members of Lehigh’s athletic teams greeted them with thunderous applause.

Following lunch, the veterans did their best to nourish the football team with lessons designed to be applied to football and life.

"The key is to take care of one another. Don’t make it all about you.”

Nix White, retired Navy SEAL

“There are a lot of similarities between what we did as veterans and you do as football players,” said Nix White, a retired Navy SEAL who owns California-based FROG-X. “You carry a ball, we carry a gun. We wear body armor, you wear a helmet and pads. We rely on the man to our right and left, and so should you.

"The key is to take care of one another. Don’t make it all about you,” White said.

Power of team

Marc Hogue is a 26-year veteran of the Marine Corps and Army who served seven deployments, including to Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He told the players that long after veterans retire from the military, he hears from them a common refrain.

“They’ll be in some job or business and tell me that they miss the team aspect they had in the military,” Hogue said. “They miss the camaraderie, the team.”

Hogue told the players those same things apply to football.

“Who did you have lunch with today?” he said. “Who picked you up for practice today? Who’s your buddy? That’s what will carry you through to be successful, having that person. That’s the core tenet of the military that carries us through. And it’s the one thing you miss.”

Larry Barbiero served 26 years in the Navy, many as a SEAL. He told the players he remembers being their age and thought he had all the answers.

“I knew two things back then —- jack and squat,” he said. "It’s not about one person; it’s about teamwork. It’s about having a bad day and knowing you can count on a teammate to pick up my slack.

“What you guys are learning doing football are also lessons about life. Working together. Counting on one another. Working as a team.”

'Building a bond'

The parachute drop and leadership discussion came to fruition when New Jersey businessman Brent Willey pitched the idea to Robert Gustafson Jr., managing director and senior fellow for leadership development at Lehigh.

Willey and Gustafson were fraternity brothers in Phi Sigma Kappa at Lehigh in the mid-1970s.

"When Brent approached me about it, I told him I thought it would be great," Gustafson said. "Having veterans talk to our players about teamwork and life is so beneficial for them."

Lehigh first-year football coach Kevin Cahill has no doubt the veterans’ message will have a lasting impact on his players.

“Being prepared, having trust in one another, building a bond,” Cahill said. “These are all things we talk to the players about. But hearing it from veterans — about leadership and accountability — and how it equates to football was impressive. I’m sure the talk opened some guys’ eyes here today.”

'You find a way'

Shawn Tufts was a member of the ground crew during Wednesday’s parachute event. He served 23 years in the Navy and five in the Army. He trained with retired SEAL Rob O’Neill, who shot and killed Al-Queda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011.

“On that raid, there was a helicopter crash on the compound,” Tufts told the players. “Did they give up? No. They kept going. You don’t quit. You find a way. If there’s a wall and no opening, you find another way. Go around it, under it, over it.”

White told the players about the challenges of training, whether for football or as a Navy SEAL. The grind, as he called it. How it gets to be too much for some.

“When I was going through SEAL training, it was hard,” White said. “Running 14 miles with a full pack.

“I remember writing something on the inside of my hat to remind me to keep going.”

The message: If you think this hurts, wait till you quit.

Lessons for a lifetime.