Celebrating New Year's at the Outback Bowl

Certain traditions are synonymous around the world with New Year's celebrations: fireworks, resolutions and counting down to midnight. However, for sports fans in America the most popular New Year's tradition is arguably the college bowl games.

As they have for the past six years, the Marine Corps started the new year with a visit to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. This year's game was a matchup between Big Ten's University of Wisconsin and the SEC's University of Tennessee.

Traditionally, outstanding Marines who are also alumni of the competing schools are chosen to be honored at the game. These Marines represent the best qualities of the Marine Corps: excellence in the classroom and excellence in their service. This year's honorees were no exception: several were combat veterans, and one was a former football player for Wisconsin with an Outback Bowl appearance under his belt.

"I played in this exact same game three years ago," said Corporal Jacob Wood. "It was an awesome experience. I got to meet some great people, and I learned a lot about work ethic."

However, Cpl. Wood noted, coming back as a Marine was an entirely different experience. "You really get a lot more of a heartfelt reaction from fans as you're walking around in uniform. It shows how much the people of the United States, and the people of Tampa, really care about the Marine Corps."

While Cpl. Wood was thrilled to be participating in another Outback Bowl, the idea of being honored was a little difficult for this typically humble Marine. "Being honored as a Marine is hard. There are all those guys who wear the same uniform that I do that aren't getting honored today. Really, for me, it's about honoring the men we lost in Iraq - it's for the men who didn't come back."

Another notable audience member at the game was high school football stand-out and inaugural Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year award-winner, Matt Barkley. A student at Mater Dei High School in California, Matt was not only excited to receive such a prestigious award, but he was also excited to be sharing the stage with the Marine Corps.

"I get goose bumps every time I think about them and what they do for our country. It's so great - there's no comparison to what they go through - I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."

In fact, Matt and his fellow teammates have spent quite a bit of time recently supporting the Marine Corps. The Mater Dei High School Monarchs dedicated their 2007 season to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton and spent weekends refurbishing youth centers, conducting football camps and hosting barbecues for the families of deployed Marines.

According to Matt's father, Les Barkley, the team wanted to give back to their community. "We really wanted to put something together that had meaning for the players. The mission was to lend tangible support and encouragement to the Marines of the 1st Marine Division living on or near Camp Pendleton. We felt one of the best ways to serve the Marine Corps was to serve their families."

From high school dance team members to fans in the stands, people approached the Marines throughout the day to thank them for their service, to shake their hands or to take pictures. Tampa native Meredith Schember noted that, because of the proximity to MacDill Air Force Base, most citizens of Tampa feel a special connection to the armed services. But familiarity does not make the skill and expertise of the servicemen any less awe-inspiring.

"I still get chills during the flyover," said Meredith, referring to the Marine's tradition of flying four Harrier jets low over the stadium during the final note of the national anthem. "It's one of my favorite parts of the game."

The Outback Bowl victory might have gone to the University of Tennessee, but Volunteers, Badgers and Marines alike had a memorable celebration to start off 2008.

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