When USF football holds its annual "Salute to Service'' game in Saturday afternoon's American Athletic Conference clash against the Temple Owls, it will be a meaningful display of patriotism and respect for everyone with a military connection.
Including Michael Kelly, USF's vice president of athletics.
Kelly's father, Dennis, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was a Naval officer who served in Vietnam. When Kelly grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, he attended St. John's College High School, an all-boys military institution, where he became a company commander.
"Learning time management, my whole approach to being organized and disciplined, it all began with my orientation to the military and the military way of life,'' Kelly said. "At St. John's, there were families that were affluent, middle class and poor. But we were all in the same uniform. So it's not like you had guys with cooler clothes or whatever. We were the same.
"My father went to that same high school. Then he was the first in the family to go to college, straight into the Naval Academy, and that was a big source of pride. Pride and respect. Those are the biggest things I feel on a weekend like this.''
Kelly's father said he's grateful how sentiments toward the military have changed. After Vietnam, an intensely unpopular war throughout America, Kelly's father said he and other service members felt their time wasn't fully appreciated.
"There was an anti-war sentiment and it was taken out — I think unfairly — on military members,'' Kelly's father said. "Now it's very different. At sporting events all over the country, the military is constantly recognized and celebrated. You hear 'Thank you for your service' all the time.
"It happens so often now, it can almost seem like lip service, almost disingenuous at times. When you have an appreciation for military life, you see the sacrifices, the separation from your family, what the spouses have to do in terms of moving and taking care of the kids when the orders change. It goes much deeper than 'Thank you for your service' and I certainly believe Michael has an appreciation for that.''
Kelly's father, who was an honorary captain at a previous USF "Salute to Service'' game, said he has been impressed with the school's recognition of all of the service branches, plus its consistent outreach to the military and MacDill Air Force Base community.
"I know it's appreciated,'' Kelly's father said. "The military is not only part of the community, but an important part of the community. When you peel back the curtain, people are often amazed about the military's influence and how many important roles it fills in this country.''
Kelly learned that first-hand in September when he participated in the 94th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC-94), a program organized by the Department of Defense for prominent educators and business leaders.
It's designed to give a week-long insider's tour of the military's five branches. Kelly's week began at the Pentagon before moving to Fort Moore in Georgia, then Parris Island in South Carolina. It stopped at the Naval Submarine Base at Kings Bay in Georgia, then embedded with the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field in Florida's Panhandle before concluding aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore off the coast of Miami Beach.
"They would never tell us where we were going next, trying to make it as life-like and unstaged as possible,'' Kelly said. "I grew up in the Washington area, but I had never toured the Pentagon before. You think about wars and defending this country, but it's also like a living museum and a place where they not only coordinate defending the country, but also various humanitarian efforts throughout the world.''
Kelly jumped off a 34-foot-high tower (while harnessed) to simulate jumping out of a plane. He attended a briefing on foreign policy. The group observed the power and speed of Army tanks. As they entered Parris Island, a commanding officer told them, "Thousands of Marines started their journey here. Don't let them down.'' They shot M16 rifles. They toured the USS Wyoming, a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. They simulated a search-and-rescue mission aboard a cutter a few miles off the coast of Miami.
"Ironically, on our Coast Guard day in Miami, I met a lady (Laticia Sims) who was one of the photographers on the media team and she had been a track and field athlete at USF,'' Kelly said. "She graduated before I got here (arriving at USF in 2018), but that was another cool experience and a reminder that our university is represented by people all over the world in the service.''
Kelly's biggest overall takeaway from the experience?
"There are nuances and different approaches to each branch of the service, but their shared goal is carrying out their missions and taking care of their brothers and sisters,'' Kelly said. "There's not a political bent to anything. Everyone is focused on the same thing, taking care of their country. It's refreshing and it renews your faith in what this country is all about.
"It also showed all the opportunities that exist for our student-athletes or students in general. There's such a wide variety of jobs in the military that open your eyes. You hear about the recruiting shortages — and it's almost like you have to dispel the myth that anybody joining gets sent to the frontlines — but there are so many diverse career fields and something like cybersecurity opens up a whole new realm. I think it's worth opening the eyes of our student-athletes and making them aware of the possibilities.''
Kelly's father, who left the Navy as a lieutenant in 1973 to work in informational technology for Ross Perot's organization and then in financial management for the International Monetary Fund, said he can see how his son was influenced by exposure to the military life.
"When you're a midshipman, and you're asked to provide information, if you don't know the answer you're taught to say, 'I don't know sir, but I will find out,' '' said Kelly's father, who was in the same company as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Roger Staubach during their time at the Naval Academy. "So what I tried to pass along to Michael and his brother (Craig) was being straightforward in life, being honest with people.
"I think Michael subtly picked up on a lot of principles of leadership and being a good manager. He learned how to deal with people and how to treat them well. It has translated into the career he built for himself. But you can certainly say that it was beneficial for him to be exposed to some basic (military) principles. They are universal and transfer well (to Kelly's career).
"I admire what Michael has done. He has far exceeded me and done things like public speaking and having a high-profile public role that just amaze me. But he knows the value of having a good team and he would much rather give the credit to someone else. He takes time to listen and sees the big picture. It's all about teamwork and putting people in the right places to succeed. I admire that leadership style.''
Kelly's father and mother (Suzanna) were married shortly after he graduated from the Naval Academy. He was on a tour of Vietnam and needed to take a leave in order to return home for Michael's birth in 1970. Kelly has vague memories of his father's service, but the influence on his life is unquestioned.
On a personal level, that's why Saturday's military tribute remains special for Kelly.
"I think it's a great annual reminder and awareness of just how fortunate we are to have the greatest military in the world to not only protect us but to help others in times of need,'' Kelly said. "It's special to have a chance to salute our soldiers right here in the Tampa Bay area. That type of appreciation is very well-deserved and we're proud to do it here at USF.''
–#GoBulls–
