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conflict, would be part of America’s fabric for many years to come. President Bush told the Army Black Knights that though Navy’s players were their rivals on the field today, they would be their brothers in arms on the battlefield tomorrow.
    Back in the Navy locker room, Senator McCain, one of the academy’s most famous graduates, delivered an impassioned speech to the players representing his beloved alma mater. While McCain’s words were potent, Brendan and his Navy teammates only needed to look into the eyes of the sixty-five-year-old senator, who had endured years of brutal torture and solitary confinement while being held captive in a North Vietnamese prison, to know that this landmark game was one step on a long journey toward becoming warriors.
    Travis was in State College, Pennsylvania, to compete in the annual Penn State Open wrestling tournament. He would have to rely on accounts from friends, including Brendan, to truly understand the atmosphere that day at “the Vet.”
    Army and Navy roared onto the field led by huge American flags. Navy SEAL and Army paratroopers, also with US flags in tow, glided onto the field’s artificial turf with Army and Navy parachutes. The Navy and Army team captains then stood at midfield with President Bush for the coin toss, as chants of “U-S-A!” filled the stadium.
    With visibly cold air billowing from his mouth, Brendan, who wore number 37, soaked in the atmosphere from the sideline while looking up at the stands. Standing next to J. P. Blecksmith, a wide receiver and backup quarterback, Brendan listened to a stirring rendition of the national anthem while looking up at the massive group of uniformed midshipmen, which included many of his friends.
    Army won the game, 26–17. But for one day, a stadium full of more than sixty-five thousand screaming fans was united, as was much of the country.
    â€œThere’s never been a game, ever—including the eight Super Bowls that I’ve called—there’s never been a game more important than calling that Army-Navy game,” legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg, who handled play-by-play announcing forCBS Sports that day, later said.
    In 2002, as the war in Afghanistan continued and talk of another war in Iraq intensified, Travis and Brendan, who were now roommates, understood the significance of the times they were living in. They also knew how to have fun.
    Andrew Hemminger was one of Travis’s wrestling teammates. He had known Brendan since their plebe year. When his two buddies became roommates, goofing off in their room became one of Hemminger’s favorite activities. He was entertained not only by Brendan and Travis’s shared sense of humor, but also by their epic video game showdowns in Madden football and Tiger Woods golf.
    When Travis beat Brendan, Brendan would sit quietly and steam for the next few hours until Travis wanted to play again. When Brendan beat Travis, Travis would bother him incessantly until Brendan finally granted his request for a rematch. What impressed Hemminger the most, however, was how quickly the roommates could refocus when it was time to be serious.
    During a summer fishing trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Hemminger and his brother, Dan, were with Brendan and several friends when the booze began to flow on the eve of their boat excursion. As more and more drinks were consumed, several of the guys began arguing over who would catch the biggest fish when they went out on the water the next morning.
    Numerous friends offered Brendan drinks as he sat quietly amid the increasingly boisterous festivities. Brendan, sporting his customary smirk, politely declined.
    â€œAre you sure you guys want to keep drinking?” Brendan cautioned the group, who carried on for several more hours despite his warning.
    The next morning, in the boat out on choppy waters, Brendan shook his head as the Hemminger brothers and everyone else draped