Duke Vs. UNC III The Untold Story

The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels make up one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports.  It is an incredible relationship of history that is second to none in college basketball.  As a flood of blue filled the Greensboro Stadium awaiting the ACC Championship game, something shocking happened that was far more important than the game itself.

As with every game, the teams and fans took part in the National Anthem and team introductions.  On this day, it was slightly different in that injured military veterans were being honored during the anthem, which was played ceremoniously by a trumpet.

The injured vets were on the court with battle wounds and a smile.  Once introduced, the crowd gave an impressive show of support with their yells and screams.  This in itself was extremely heartfelt, especially if you have any relation to the military past or present.

As the musician began to play, the sound filled the entire stadium; it was very nice.  Nowhere to be found was a random singer who was too busy trying to put their spin on the song, mess it up, or, at worst, forget the lyrics.

The song continued to play, and quietly you heard a hand full of fans begin to sing.  As the song progressed, the singing got louder and louder until the sound of thousands rang through the stadium.

It was incredible to hear such a large amount of bitter rivals come together for a common cause.  Once the song ended, the crowd erupted in one of the loudest roars heard on the day. 

For many, this may have been nothing more than a precursor to a much anticipated title game. But to the handful of military that were in the room, it was far more.  It was a representation of exactly why each day these true heroes are willing to give their lives.

Once the ovation began to subside, I started to look around at the people beside me to see their emotion.  I wondered if any of them knew that beside them was a current active-duty military member.  None of them knew anything; to them I was nothing more than another crazed Duke fan.

As I prepare to deploy for the fourth time, it was an incredible feeling to be reminded why I chose this occupation.  I never assumed that the most important part of my first Duke-Carolina game would have no dealings with March Madness, a top seed, or cutting nets.

Later this year, while on deployment, I will sit and remember this day.  I will smile as I think about the feeling I had when Duke beat UNC, but my heart will swell as I remember just how amazing it was for a pre-game ritual to turn into one of the best things I have ever seen.