Often time we take the star athletes we see on the playing field as heroes and role models–people worth looking up to.

These athletes are who our children model themselves after, because of fantastic athletic ability or crowd pleasing antics that really provide a blunted look on reality. Too often our children admire a Larry Johnson or Terrell Owens type guy…who may be great on the field, but are not really the best “people” for them to emulate.

Too often, we forget to honor those who serve our country and fight for our freedom.

They fight for the freedoms we take for granted.

Such as, my ability to even write this blog right now…the freedom of speech.

While not all athletes fall into the Johnson or Owens category–lots of them do.

So why not teach our children to look up to both? Not only those who put it on the line each and every day on the field, but also put their own lives on the line to help protect us and our country?

Many athletes have not only been star players, but have done their duty and served their country in some branch of the military.

Not familiar with who they are? That’s okay. Lot’s of people aren’t. Take a second today to read the article below from Allan Johnson of The Daily Texan. Learn something today and teach your kids to be like these people…as they are the true heroes.

“He led a surgical strike down the field.”

“We were battling in the trenches.”

“Strap your helmets on, we’re going to war.”

For as long as there has been sport, there have been metaphors linking it to war. The two share some similarities, including many of its participants.

Professional athletics has been a part of America’s fighting history since Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Morgan Bulkeley’s participation in the Civil War.

As the years moved on and sports grew, the commitment from athletes to their country did not change. When the United States went into the first World War, it took with it 25 members of baseball’s Hall of Fame.

By the second World War, professional athletics had grown vastly and was becoming a staple of American society. The increased status did not change the mind-set of professional athletes. Between the NFL and MLB, they placed over 1500 of their players into harm’s way to protect the American way of living. Some of the units were filled with multiple Hall of Fame players like Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg and Warren Spahn.

Beginning with the Korean War, we began to see fewer and fewer athletes leaving to fight and instead choosing to entertain the folks back home with their athletic feats. By the time of the first Gulf War, the NFL only had one participant, Chad Hennings.

That being said, it is hard to imagine where we would be without the sacrifices made by some of America’s finest athletes.

Pat Tillman

Not many people turn down $4 million, especially if it means they are going to put themselves in the line of fire. Pat Tillman was not like most people. The former Arizona Cardinals safety enlisted in the elite Army Ranger program and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. He received the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

Ted Williams

The man considered by some to be the greatest hitter of all time, gave up five years of his career to serve as a marine pilot in World War II and the Korean War. He had just completed his first Triple Crown season (.356 AVG, 36 HR, 137 RBI) in 1942 when he enlisted for the first time.

Jackie Robinson

Immediately after Pearl Harbor, Robinson was drafted into the Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant. Robinson took what would be the first of many stands for civil rights as he was court marshaled for refusing to move to the back of a bus while he was stationed in Texas. After months of litigation, Robinson received an honorable discharge from the Army.

Ahmard Hall

Not too many guys are relieved to be playing against Big 12 defenses, but compared to what Hall was facing in previous years, OU was a piece of cake. The former Longhorn fullback served as a Marine in Afghanistan and Kosovo before coming to Texas. While at Texas, Hall was a lead blocker for a Longhorn offense that averaged 50.2 points per game.

Tom Landry

After just a semester at Texas, Landry left school and joined the Air Force. He flew over 30 missions and survived a crash landing in Belgium. When he returned to the states, he returned to the Texas backfield where he helped the Longhorns win two consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games. Following his college career, he played for a short time in the NFL before moving on to his Hall of Fame coaching career.