Story by John Helsley
Photography by Bruce Waterfield
This feature originally appeared in the Winter 2014 edition of POSSE Magazine.
JOE NELSON BID FAREWELL TO THE HUT THAT SERVED AS HOME DURING A SECOND TOUR IN VIETNAM, pausing to grab but one souvenir from an otherwise hellish experience. One token from there... that always kept him focused on what awaited here in the U.S.
Pistol Pete.
"We didn't have doors because of the rocket attacks and they didn't want to have anything impeding us from getting into the bunkers," said Nelson, now the parking manager and event coordinator for the POSSE.
"A flap was my door."
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Joe Nelson (left) and OSU regent Calvin Anthony in front of "the door."Upon that flap, a piece of canvas two feet wide and four feet long, Nelson had sketched his own Oklahoma icon, a source of pride and a sense of home, which he longed to see again while bullets and mortar fire filled the days.
"I MANAGED TO COME BY AN ORANGE MAGIC MARKER AND A BLACK MAGIC MARKER," NELSON SAID. "AND I PENCILED IN A PICTURE OF PISTOL PETE ON THIS BIG PIECE OF CANVAS, THEN I COLORED IT IN WITH THE MAGIC MARKERS. AND THAT WAS MY DOOR."
"So when it came time to come home, I took my knife out and cut him down."
Back in Oklahoma, that Pistol Pete canvas hung over the work bench in his garage, until he came to OSU for a job.
His wife, Pam, had always suggested framing it so once on campus, Nelson figured it was time to fully give his Pete his due.
"When I came to work at OSU and had an office, I framed it and prominently placed him on the wall," Nelson said. "He's something I'm very proud of."
With the recent observation of Veteran's Day (Nov. 11), Nelson and many others across campus with a military influence took time to pause and reflect and appreciate all who served this country in the name of freedom.
Like Jeff Hunt, a veteran and student coach assisting Rob Glass in OSU's strength and conditioning department. At a strategic locale in Iraq, Hunt sat atop a Hesco Barrier, a multi-layered wall used to protect troops in conflict, and listened in long distance, very long distance, while his wife Meagan gave birth to the couple's first child back in the States. Hours after his daughter Hailey's birth, Hunt was informed he'd been named 2nd Division Marine of the Year.
Nathan Peterson once harassed enemy quarterbacks from an end spot on the Cowboys' defensive line. He graduated with a degree from OSU in management. Then he suited up again - as an officer with the Marine Corps. Peterson is back with the Cowboys, serving as a defensive grad assistant on Mike Gundy's staff, still leading young men.
Jemal Singleton grew up military, born in Incirlik, Turkey, the son of an Air Force sergeant. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when Singleton attended the Air Force Academy, played at the Academy and prepped at the Academy for a life flying fighter jets. Except the Air Force Academy also fueled a passion in Singleton for coaching, eventually leading him to OSU and Mike Gundy's staff as running backs coach.
THEIRS AREN'T THE ONLY STORIES OF SERVICE AND SACRIFICE THAT SURELY TOUCH EVERY CORNER OF CAMPUS AT OSU. But they are a sampling of how the military life has influenced - and continues to influence - all those who claim to be Cowboys.
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Jeff HuntTHE UNINTENTIONAL MARINE
Jeff Hunt did a buddy a favor, driving him to see a Marine recruiter.
Hunt wasn't at all interested, just giving a friend a lift. After attending high school in Arkansas City, Kan., he'd scored a baseball scholarship to a junior college and was more than happy to keep playing ball.
"I had a buddy who wanted to go talk to a recruiter," Hunt said. "He didn't have a car, so I drove him to the recruiting office and they started talking to me instead of him. Next thing I knew, I was signing the papers."
Hunt wasn't coerced and wasn't tricked. He recounts no magic words that swayed him to sign on with the Marines. But there was something tugging at him from within, something calling him to a higher cause.
"That was the biggest deal for me, belonging to something," he said, "belonging to something bigger than myself and having a purpose. I never really had that. I always played baseball and I enjoyed that. But this was something bigger."
And it proved to be much bigger, with Hunt embracing the Corps and his expanding role through two missions in Iraq and another in Afghanistan.
Each deployment was different. The first, way out in western Iraq, essentially pitting Hunt and his pals against an invisible enemy, charged with clearing roads of IEDs - improvised explosive devices - to offer safe travel for the troops that followed.
The second deployment sent Hunt's battalion to northern Iraq, engaging more towns and people, and some threats of a more personal nature, although the explosives remained the focus.
"WE BEGGED FOR A TOE-TO-TOE GUNFIGHT," SAID HUNT. "THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRAINED FOR. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. We're going to run to the bullets. But when they don't play by those rules - they won't stand up to us toe-to-toe, because they're going to lose - IEDs were the way they chose to fight.
"That was always the biggest threat, and the not-knowing was difficult."
It was in Iraq, Feb. 2, 2007, that Hunt had a day from heaven in a living hell.
One moment, he was sharing the birth of Hailey with Meagan; another he was told he'd been named Marine of the Year.
"Very cool experience," he said. "You always look back and think there were 100 more Marines more qualified than I was to hold an award like that. Nevertheless, I was very honored and it was a very cool experience.
"IT WAS A BIG DAY."
After Hunt's second tour, he returned to the U.S. and was sent to Marine Combat Training Battalion, serving as an instructor for three years. Men learn how to be a Marine in boot camp. They learn how to fight like Marines in the combat training battalion, studying hand-to-hand tactics, weapons tactics, even martial arts skills. And all that would prove useful in Afghanistan, where Hunt and his men were the front line of the western-most push, resulting in many more confrontations.
"They were more willing to fight," Hunt said. Meanwhile, Hunt was climbing the ladder of rank, which came with added responsibility.
And stress.
"My first deployment, I was a PFC (Private First Class); the second a sergeant," he said. "I was about the Marines to the left and the right of me when I hopped on that bus or that plane. I kissed my wife the first time and told her bye, then I kissed my wife and my kids bye the second time.
"As my third deployment came, I was telling parents and I was telling other men's wives and their kids goodbye. And they were looking at me, because I was the one who was supposed to bring them home."
Hunt led a group of 55 men into the wasteland of western Afghanistan. And he had no intention of leaving a single one behind.
"That was my main goal, bring those men back," he said. "I'd been through a couple already. I knew what to expect. I knew how my young guys were feeling. But anytime you go anywhere, your goal is to bring all your brothers home. No matter what other mission you have or what other goals you have, that is the ultimate goal."
The goal was met.
All 55 men returned safe and sound.
After that tour ended, Hunt returned to his wife and two children, Hailey and her sister Heidi. And Meagan was pregnant with a third girl. Dad made it back a week before Hope was born - on 11/11/11, Veteran's Day. He returned to a message, too.
"When I got home," Hunt said, "my oldest daughter said, 'Dad, don't ever leave again.' I was about seven months out from having to make a decision to get out or reenlist. That made it a pretty easy decision for me.
"I was told a long time ago that there's no bigger impact in a girl's life than her dad. And if you're not the impact, somebody else will be. So it was a pretty easy decision for me. I got out, we did a whole lot of praying, and we felt like we were led to be here at Oklahoma State."
Hunt has a son now, too, Jimmy. They all packed up and moved to Stillwater, with dad returning to the classes he'd started at that junior college so many years before. He got a job, too, working for OSU's agricultural department, doing some farming. With his sights set on athletics, however, he pressed for an opportunity to meet Glass, and eventually got it, and stuck. He keeps pushing towards his degree and he keeps pushing athletes to be their best in the weight room.
"I THINK THIS IS WHAT I REALLY ENJOY, BEING ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN SOMEONE'S LIFE," he said. "I hope I'm doing that in some way, even if it's just one person. I really feel like this is what I'm supposed to do. It's what I feel I'm led to do, with God's calling. I'm hoping to make the best of it."Nathan Peterson
DRAWN TO SERVE
Nathan Peterson arrived at OSU as a coveted recruit from Tulsa Union, then lived up to billing with a standout career as a Cowboy from 2004-07. Peterson stands sixth on the school's career quarterback sacks list and eighth in tackles for loss. And he earned All-Big 12 recognition as a senior.
And by then, his vision for the future was clear, yet not at all the typical college player's dream of chasing NFL play days and paydays.
Peterson's pursuit: becoming a Marine.
The U.S. was imbedded in the Middle East, carrying out Operation Iraqi Freedom. Peterson was drawn to help.
"I HAD THIS URGE TO KIND OF DO MY PART," Peterson said. "There were a lot of people my age who were involved and stepping up and serving. There was a time when I was more young and immature and I didn't look at that as something I should be doing, because I was in college and playing football. I looked at it completely different, being immature.
"Then I realized I should do my part as well. I'm not saying people who don't are doing anything wrong. It was something where I was upset with myself because of how I looked at it before. Then after meeting some people and some friends of mine who went and served, I came to realize how important it was. And it became important to me.
"It was an idea I had gotten after my junior season. And I had it in the back of my mind, and I couldn't really kick the idea. And I could tell it wasn't going to go away. I got the feeling that if I didn't do it, I'd probably regret it the rest of my life."
Peterson graduated with a management degree in 2008. Three years later, as an officer, he stepped into the Taliban hotbed of Afghanistan. A Marine 1st Lt., Peterson discovered a different world, marked not just by strife and conflict, but by children with the simplest of wants and needs.
"Children who all they would ask for, the whole time we were there, was a pen and some chocolate," Peterson said. "If you give a child over there a pen, you've made their day. It's amazing, how little they have.
"THE HARDEST THING FOR ME WAS SEEING SOME OF THE STUFF THE CHILDREN HAVE TO GO THROUGH OVER THERE."
There was tragedy, too. Peterson lost a friend and one of his men, LANCE CPL. CHRISTOPHER PHOENIX "JACOB" LEVY, who was killed on patrol while tracking Taliban fighters who had attacked their compound days before. LANCE CPL. CODY EVANS and CPL. CHRISTIAN BROWN, two more of Peterson's men, were severely wounded and left double amputees.
Peterson returned to the U.S. with a deep respect for all who serve. And for country.
"It absolutely changed how I look at things," Peterson said. "Going overseas, you realize how great it is here and how bad it is in other parts of the world. To get caught up in the day-to-day, get up, go to work... sometimes you feel sorry for yourself because you had a bad week or your job's not great at the time.
"It gives you a great appreciation for everything we have. It's amazing what we have here. That's something I try to remind myself of when I have a bad day or I'm feeling sorry for myself. I think of all we have."
THE COWBOYS HAVE PETERSON. AGAIN.
Following his discharge in December of 2012, Peterson headed home - not to Tulsa, but to OSU.
He was added by Mike Gundy as a quality assurance coach under defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer a month later. Now a graduate assistant with the Cowboys, he says he's back where he belongs, having fulfilled one pursuit and now finding another, to help shape young men for the next phases of their lives.
"I love it," Peterson said. "I've said it, and it's not something I just say, it's the only place I want to be. This is my home. I'm from Tulsa, but Stillwater is my home. I think this is the greatest place on earth."Jemal Singleton
FLIGHT PLAN AMENDED
Jemal Singleton grew up military, as the son of an Air Force sergeant, and with a brother who also served. So he knew the military life... to an extent. It took football to open his eyes further, with the Air Force Academy recruiting Singleton out of Taft High School in San Antonio, where he'd been a local star and an all-state player as a senior.
"I almost feel bad saying this, but coming up through high school, I didn't know the Air Force Academy existed," Singleton said. "I didn't know they had a college football team or anything like that. It wasn't until I got some recruiting letters that it became an option and something that really intrigued me."
Singleton's intrigue only expanded.
He played running back at Air Force, serving as co-captain of the 1998 squad, earning honorable mention All-Western Athletic Conference recognition as a senior. He earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the Academy in 1999. And he cherished the experience.
"It was a chance to play Division I football. It was a chance to get a phenomenal education," Singleton said. "And it was a chance to have a lifestyle that I grew up in and enjoyed growing up in. A chance to go be an officer in the United States Air Force was a pretty neat deal for me. My father was enlisted for 20 years.
"So the opportunity to do kind of everything I wanted to do in my life, the Academy offered all those things."
And it offered perks, too.
As Singleton knows, there's a lot to a military education that goes unknown or misunderstood. The demands are high, academically and physically. And there's the post-graduation military commitment. But there are lifetime memories as well.
"I'VE FLOWN GLIDERS. I'VE JUMPED OUT OF AIRPLANES AND PARACHUTED," SINGLETON SAID. "I'VE GONE THROUGH BASIC SURVIVAL TRAINING. I'VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS YOU NORMALLY WOULDN'T EXPERIENCE AT A DIFFERENT INSTITUTION.
"So for me, it was unbelievable. It helped me develop as a man in different ways, whether it was my discipline or my leadership skills, it just helped me so much."
And it had Singleton on track to be a fighter pilot. His slot was reserved for training, with a future of flying awaiting. Except a funny thing happened on the way to the tarmac. Before shipping out for jet training, Singleton was flying Cessnas in a program called Introduction to Flight Training. During that time, he worked with the USAFA Prep School football team. And everything changed.
"I ENJOYED FLYING, BUT I LOVED COACHING,"Singleton said. "It was a little different from what I intended to do. I started out all my Academy years and even after graduation, I was going to be that fighter pilot guy. I fell head over heels in love with coaching.
"I always thought, 'Oh, it would be kind of cool to coach.' When I got down there and was able to do it, and was a part of it, it kind of spoke to me. I felt led. That it was what the Good Lord had in store for me.
"I pursued that dream and was fortunate that some things went my way and I was able to give back to the Academy and coach while I was still active duty military, and also get hired on as a civilian when I separated from the Air Force."
Singleton worked at Air Force from 2003-2010, coaching running backs and adding the title of run game coordinator his final four seasons. Each year, the Falcons won the conference rushing title and finished in the top 10 nationally. Gundy brought Singleton to OSU from Air Force in 2011, and the Cowboys' running game has continued to thrive.
Still, there's an Academy influence in everything Singleton does on and off the field.
"THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY HAS THE CORE VALUES OF SERVICE BEFORE SELF, EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO, AND IT STARTS OUT WITH INTEGRITY FIRST," HE SAID. "That's one of the things I started to internalize. Probably not as much while I was there, but after I graduated and realized if I could lead my family and live my life with those core values, if I could live through those things, I could probably be a successful person, be a good person and a good citizen as well.
"Those things, that you feel like are being beat into your head when you're a cadet, to this day they are still codes that come up in my mind and are still fitting for what I do now in coaching football and dealing with young people."Joe Nelson
BLENDING ORANGE WITH RED, WHITE AND BLUE
School wasn't going so good for Joe Nelson in 1965.
He was a freshman at Oklahoma State; and he was bright. But he was dragged down by the usual distractions for a kid getting his first taste of independence. So facing school probation at a time when the military draft was in force, Nelson figured he'd just enlist, signing on with the U.S. Navy.
It was no pleasure cruise, no shipping off for Hawaii or some other dream locale. Nelson was dropped directly into Vietnam as a Seabee - in the mobile construction battalion - operating heavy equipment. On the ground with Marines, evidence of the seriousness of their missions, Nelson and the other Seabees cleared brush and grounds as sites for gun pads and roads and bridges and other facilities.
"I DIDN'T REALIZE EXACTLY HOW MUCH DANGER I WAS IN AT TIMES," NELSON SAID.
He spent two tours in Vietnam, with the first working six miles from the DMZ (demilitarized zone) - the demarcation line separating North Vietnamese territory and South Vietnamese territory. Nelson sensed danger and trouble, as he and four other Seabees and 12 Marines operated from a small compound surrounded by 15 rows of wire. But it wasn't until years later, when he was back in the U.S. watching a PBS documentary on the conflict that he discovered how close he and his men might have been to death.
"In the documentary, it was noted that the North Vietnamese army was making a push to go south," Nelson said. "THEY CAME WITHIN PROBABLY A COUPLE MILES OF WHERE WE WERE AND COULD HAVE OVERRUN US IF THEY WANTED, BECAUSE THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF THEM."
"I broke into a cold sweat, knowing - because I didn't have any clue at the time - we could have been wiped out pretty easily. But they didn't want to be detected, which is what saved our bacon, because they didn't want to be seen on their way south."
Nelson spent 18 months in Vietnam during his four-year commitment, before a discharge and a return to Oklahoma.
It was four years that changed him forever.
"I went over there immature, a chip on my shoulder," Nelson said. "I hadn't done so well in college; that was only because I didn't apply myself. It changed my life for the good, for the most part. You learn to appreciate the sun coming up. It's very meaningful to me, because we weren't always sure we'd see the sun come up." "WHEN YOU LEARN THE VALUE OF LIFE, IT REALLY CHANGES YOU."
There was fallout, too, from the two tours. Nelson battled nightmares for more than 20 years, some of them intense.
Still, he came home a decorated soldier, most proud for receiving the Navy Expert Rifleman Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon, given to those who actively engage in ground combat. He returned to school, too, first at Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma). And it went much better.
"The courses I flunked before, I set the curve," Nelson said. "Even with the bad grades I carried from my first year, I ended up with over a 3-point grade average overall. So I had become an honor student."
Nelson eventually made his way back to OSU, moving with his wife to Stillwater in 1992. He's worked in university accounting and in the athletic department business office as an accountant, spent time in the school of hotel and restaurant administration and is now with the POSSE. His office offers reminders of his time in the Navy, most remarkably is his Pistol Pete piece of art, framed prominently on the wall.
"I TAKE PRIDE IN HAVING SERVED,"Nelson said. "And I am grateful to be a survivor. My father-in-law was a survivor of Pearl Harbor. He was someone I was always very proud of, too, in him as a veteran and knowing what it meant to him. And those I served with, I was proud to serve with them. So it means a lot to me."
Veteran's Day means a lot to Nelson, too. And if he happens to be working on a Veteran's Day, you'll likely see him in an old stars and stripes tie, bought in the days following his return home and brought out for special occasions.
"I've had it ever since," Nelson said. "I had to cut it down, because it was really wide. But I wear it on election days and things like that.
If I'm working on Veteran's Day, I'll sport that tie."
"EVERYBODY AROUND HERE KNOWS THAT I BLEED ORANGE. BUT MY HEART IS RED, WHITE AND BLUE."
"IT WAS A BIG DAY."
After that tour ended, Hunt returned to his wife and two children, Hailey and her sister Heidi. And Meagan was pregnant with a third girl. Dad made it back a week before Hope was born - on 11/11/11, Veteran's Day. He returned to a message, too.
"It gives you a great appreciation for everything we have. It's amazing what we have here. That's something I try to remind myself of when I have a bad day or I'm feeling sorry for myself. I think of all we have."
"I ENJOYED FLYING, BUT I LOVED COACHING," Singleton said. "It was a little different from what I intended to do. I started out all my Academy years and even after graduation, I was going to be that fighter pilot guy. I fell head over heels in love with coaching.
