Organizers of the Military Bowl have created several initiatives designed to support active and retired service members.
One of the traditions is the recognition of the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients. Each year, the Military Bowl Foundation invites all living members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to attend the bowl game, which has been played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis since 2013, and participate in several special events.
This year, nine Medal of Honor recipients traveled to Annapolis for the 14th Military Bowl on Wednesday. They were treated to a Salute to Heroes dinner Tuesday night in the banquet room of the Akerson Tower high above Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
On game day, an overflow crowd packed into the N Room on the first floor of the press box for a special reception paying tribute to the Medal of Honor recipients. Among the honorees was H.C. “Barney” Barnum, who served 27 years in the Marine Corps. Barnum was a first lieutenant in Vietnam when he took charge after the company commander was wounded.
Barnum’s heroic actions and leadership in the heat of battle earned him the Medal of Honor. He spoke briefly during Wednesday’s reception and thanked all those in attendance for supporting the Military Bowl, which in turn does so much to support service members.
According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, there are 65 living recipients of the nation’s highest award for military valor in action. Each year, the Military Bowl Foundation sends invitations to them all.
Steve Beck, president and executive director of the Military Bowl Foundation, has gotten to know many of the Medal of Honor recipients well over the years.
“These men are the best this country has to offer and have achieved the pinnacle of military recognition,” Beck said. “They are amazing heroes, and their stories are incredible. We are humbled and honored to recognize these great Americans each year through the bowl game.”
James McCloughan was drafted into the United States Army at age 22 and served as a combat medic in Vietnam. The Michigan native, who was a three-sport standout at Olivet College, repeatedly distinguished himself by ignoring danger and his own injuries to treat wounded American soldiers.
After being discharged, McCloughan returned to his home state and spent four decades as a teacher and coach at South Haven High. He was presented the Medal of Honor in 2017, 48 years after leaving active duty.
This marks the fourth Military Bowl that McCloughan has attended and he sang “God Bless America” on the field during a television timeout for the third time. McCloughan said he is grateful to the Military Bowl for bringing the Medal of Honor Society members together each year for fellowship.
“It’s a very select group of people and we share a special bond. It’s great to come here to Annapolis to partake in all the festivities and get to spend time together,” McCloughan said.
“We want people to understand that a service member may leave the war, but the war never leaves them. They are always going to battle the memories and experiences for the rest of their lives,” he said.
Funds raised by the Military Bowl go toward active duty and veteran service members and their families through Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation’s 294-acre retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Military Bowl organizers also provide complimentary tickets for service members and their families to attend the postseason contest through the Tickets for Troops program.
Dense fog and steady rain did not dampen the spirits of fans attending Wednesday’s game between Virginia Tech and Tulane. The announced crowd of 35,849 was highly partisan, with Virginia Tech fans outnumbering Tulane supporters by about five to one.
Hours before the 2 p.m. kickoff, the parking lots of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium were a sea of burnt orange and Chicago maroon. Many packed into the Military Bowl Tailgate Festival, which featured a performance by country music singer Jimmy Charles.
Virginia Tech sold out its allotment of 9,000 tickets within days of being selected for the Military Bowl. Most of the fans seated on the Tulane side of the stadium were also clearly rooting for the Hokies.
Among them was a large contingent hosted by Andy Moore, president of St. Mary’s Schools and father of the Virginia Tech starting punter, Peter Moore. Moore and wife, Jeanne, attended the game along with their two daughters, both of whom attended St. Mary’s High.
The family, which has lived in either Crofton or Davidsonville for most of the past three decades, purchased 15 tickets for family and friends. Another dozen supporters were on hand to see Peter Moore play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the first time.
Many of those in attendance were Moore’s teammates with either the Crofton Cardinals or Calvert Hall programs.
“It’s pretty exciting for Peter to get a chance to come home to Annapolis and play in front of a lot of friends [with whom] he played youth and high school football,” said Andy Moore, in his second year overseeing St. Mary’s High and Elementary in Annapolis.
Peter Moore, a first-team All-Metro choice by The Sun as a senior at Calvert Hall, attracted more than 30 scholarship offers and chose Virginia Tech over hometown Maryland and Penn State. Throughout the 29-year tenure of head coach Frank Beamer, the Hokies became known for excelling on special teams.
“I think the tradition of taking pride in special teams was really appealing to Peter,” said Andy Moore, whose family entered the stadium as soon as the gates opened at 12:30 so they could watch their son warm up on the field.
Following Beamer’s retirement in 2015, Virginia Tech established a new tradition in his honor. For each game, one member of the special teams units wears 25, which was Beamer’s jersey number during his playing days with the Hokies.
Peter Moore had the honor of wearing No. 25 for the Military Bowl, the second time this season he has done so. The Davidsonville resident made a major impact on the game late in the first quarter as his booming 51-yard punt was mishandled by Tulane returner Dante Fleming.
Fleming, who had turned and retreated to field the punt that sailed over his head, muffed the catch and the Hokies recovered the fumble at the 11-yard line. One play later, quarterback Kyrone Drones took a keeper up the middle for a touchdown that gave Virginia Tech a 10-7 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, fans were treated to a performance by the “Racing Presidents” — a staple of Washington Nationals home games. Thomas Jefferson won the 100-yard, length-of-the-field race after Abraham Lincoln got tackled by Greenie the Tulane mascot and Teddy Roosevelt was wiped out by HokieBird, the Virginia Tech mascot.
Quarterback Kyrone Drones rushed for a career-high 176 yards and a touchdown and also threw for two scores as Virginia Tech beat Tulane, 41-20. Tailback Rhayshul Tuten added 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Hokies, who outscored the Green Wave 24-10 in the second half.