Ok folks…here I go stirring the pot! I’ve sent emails to as many current AMMO Chiefs and SrNCOs at the helm of the SE Bombdumps and retired AMMO Chiefs in the SE area and I wanted to get on my soapbox to try and get the SE AMMO Bowl back to basics. Based on the responses I’ve had think this needs wider distribution. So here goes, if the shoe fits>>>>
I think it is time for AMMO Bowls to return to the real reason we have an AMMO Bowl…to allow AMMO Troops the opportunity to come together and play some softball. Winning the AMMO Bowl should be a side bar compared to the camaraderie built and the new friends met and old friends reacquainted. Over the years it seems we have bastardized who is eligible to play in the AMMO Bowl with the intent to stack a team in an attempt to be undefeatable and win the trophy. I don’t want to meet someone who is NOT AMMO…they have not traveled the same roads I have. I’ve seen it where AGE troops who delivered AGE to the bomb dump were allowed on the roster, Cops who patrolled the bombdump, officers who were Sq maintenance Officers and not AMMO, and a multitude of other examples over the years. I’ve seen places like Eglin combine the 33, 46, Arm Armament Center, AFRL and AFOTEC into one so called super team stacked to be undefeatable. We have even allowed dependents to play on the A teams (OBTW military dependents are no longer dependents after they turn 21 years of age, 23 if in college) to stack teams. Oh yes…I am guilty of this also…I let my 17 year old son play on the Ramstein B Team at the approval of the B Team coach…went to Darby and they had a great time drinking beer and playing ball with the intent not to play too many games that would interfere with the partying. And the most resent news which broke the camels back, I’ve heard there is an AMMO Bowl Team called the ORFs (Old Retired Fellas) which is putting a team together for the SE AMMO Bowl. Sounded like a great idea to get some of these old retired guys back into the fray (even thought of asking to put me on the roster) to come in and play the younger active duty troops and show these active duty guys we all still care and want to keep involved in the AMMO community, how some ever, I found out that the Old Retired fellas do not have just retired AMMO Troops on the team…they have what they call dependents from a retired weapons troop on their team…again I say, where is the integrity of just wanting the come out and play ball with fellow AMMO troops.
I have played in many AMMO Bowls in CONUS, PACAF and USAFE and I can say when I coached teams I kept the integrity of the unit and I would hope all other teams would maintain the same integrity to keep the field even and make the Bowl enjoyable for all teams. When I coached the 33d all players were 33d folks and we even won it one year. When I coached at Ramstein all A Team players were AMMO Troops and we won the USAFE AMMO Bowl one year. I even took the Ramstein team to Bolling for the worldwide and got my ass kicked by Hurlburt.
Now I do not coach or play anymore (unless the 33d asks me to play on their team, the unit I retired from) so I really don’t have a dog in this hunt, how some ever, as a retired AMMO Chief I want to see the AMMO Bowls continue and I want to see more involvement from other units.
We wonder how we can get more teams into the SE AMMO Bowl…well let a team from Moody, or Patrick or ANG or even Maxwell know that they can be competitive with the few AMMO Troops they can muster from their small bombdumps because they will be competing against bombdump teams and not stacked teams. If these units know that the playing field is level with team integrity from each unit they may want to participate…who wants to come here and face an almost guaranteed two and out facing stacked teams. As for folks who do not have a unit make them enter the players pool and play with fellow AMMO troops…are they here for a trophy or camaraderie?
The intent of the AMMO Bowls is to allow the opportunity for AMMO troops to socialize, meet, play some softball and build the camaraderie we all cherish as AMMO Troops. I personally know a lot of AMMO troops who I’ve never had the pleasure of working with but met at an AMMO Bowl over the years.
I ask each of you who have played in or participated in an AMMO Bowl over the years and enjoyed the camaraderie to send your comments to the SE AMMO Bowl Director (Bruce Stillwell, here at Eglin on the global) whether you agree with all my comments or not…you guys are the movers and shakers in the SE AMMO Community and if you voice your concerns maybe we can get the SE AMMO Bowl back to the roots in which it started.
Let us challenge the SE AMMO Bowl Tournament director to revise the player eligibility rules to make is unit specific, require documents for player eligibility and make sure dependents are dependents as defined as a military dependent. Also prevent big AMMO bases like Eglin from making one so-called super-duper team and keep it unit level, i.e., 46 Wing, 33d Wing and 808 ARSW/AFOTEC. As for the ORFs, since they do not belong to any unit, establish rules for player eligibility such as…duhhh…must be a retired AMMO Troop.
My thoughts…nuff said! Darrell! Take care and keep your powder dry! IYA AMMO YAS!