The U.S. Army announced Friday its decision to end its sponsorship agreement with Don Schumacher Racing’s Pro Stock Motorcycle team at the end of the season.
Col. David Lee, the Army’s director of strategic communications, said, “Given the great pride the program brings our soldiers and everyone associated with the U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycles, this was not an easy decision to make.”
Maybe that’s because it was the wrong decision.
“We want to thank Angelle Sampey, Antron Brown, Steve Tartaglia, and the members of the Pro Stock Motorcycle team, as well as the entire Don Schumacher Racing organization, for their professionalism and their performances on behalf of the U.S. Army,” Lee said.
“We also want to thank all of the fans who support the U.S. Army Racing program, and wish both Angelle and Antron the best of luck moving forward. We are proud of our teams and the effort put forth by the riders and crew throughout our relationship.”
Col. Lee, let me share something with you.
And yes, Sir, I understand that, as General Norman Schwarzkopf said, war is profane —and that you have seen the profane. And yes, Sir, I know devastation is what all Americans have seen at Pearl Harbor, on the battlefields of Belleau Wood and Normandy and Iwo Jima and Chosin and Khe Sahn and Baghdad, in the gaping hole in the U.S.S. Cole, and at the Marine barracks in Beiruit. And I know we’re talking about drag racing here.
But you couldn’t have had two finer “soldiers” for your recruiting cause than Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown. “I am an American soldier” pays no attention to race and gender, and neither does drag racing — but as a female and an African-American, Sampey and Brown were perfect for your target demographics. But they have been representatives of substance, of character. And they have been devastated.
“We’re losing so much more than Someone Who Pays The Bills,” Sampey said. “We were sponsored by the United States Army.” You should have heard the pride in her voice. “We represent over a million soldiers,” she said. “We’re not just losing a bill-payer. We’re losing all of our support with the soldiers.”
She broke down in tears Saturday when talking to new recruits visiting the O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park at her team’s Future Soldiers presentation.
“We put our heart and soul into this program,” Brown said. “It goes far beyond results down the race track. We actually made a difference in the young adults of tomorrow’s lives. We were mentors to [potential recruits], telling them how we got to where we are in our lives so they can be successful in their own lives.
“It meant something,” Brown said, “because we weren’t selling something that was a gimmick product. We were selling something that was real, that was a way of life. This is like the American Dream Team.”  
Col. Lee said Friday, “We do, however, remain committed to NHRA and its fans who continue to support our program and soldiers and look forward to continuing our sponsorship of the DSR Top Fuel team.”
Let’s hope so. “Committed” is a strong word — Army strong, you might say. And we want to believe in that.
So while you’re doing your budgeting for 2008 and beyond, Col. Lee, perhaps it might serve you well to revisit the words of General George S. Patton, Jr.:
“There’s a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top,” Patton said. “Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates.”
Col. Lee, Sir, I hope you’ll be among those great men.