One More Bowl Game To Add To Your Schedule

There is one more bowl game to add to your schedule this year. On January 9 it is the All-American Bowl sponsored by the US Army. If you want a chance to see the faces of some of the heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan this is a must see event. This game is different because instead of involving two separate colleges, this is a game showcasing those high school football players voted to the All-American team.

I came across this because of the involvement of a local man in the ceremonies involved with this bowl game. There is an entire week of activities leading up to the game itself and at one of the events several members of the military who have received either a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and/or Silver Star will be honored.

Given the option of returning home to recover from his injuries, Graham chose to remain in Iraq.

“As a leader of soldiers, sometimes it’s not just about you,” he said. “I have soldiers that depend on me. I felt like I needed to stay and I did heal up. Military doctors and the plastic surgeons we have are the best in the world. You can hardly tell now (that I was injured).”

SGT Ben Graham's injuries included a bullet that deflected off his weapon penetrated his face at the corner of his nose where it meets his cheek, entered his nasal cavity and lodged in the roof of his mouth.

Another round went into his ribcage.

SGT Graham's acts of heroism are not merely limited to being the unlucky recipient of ricochet to the face. The sergeant was also awarded a Bronze Star with Valor following his second deployment to Iraq. Graham, who is EMT certified, received the medal for his decision to assist a unit whose tank had been blown up by a road bomb during an ambush in June 2007.

In total he has two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.