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In observance of the 50th anniversary of the war in Vietnam, they held a special event at the Washington Mall last Saturday by organizing volunteers to clean the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Thomas Lynch, chairman of the Board at NewDay, said the nation’s veterans have served selflessly and courageously, often risking their lives protecting our liberty and freedom, so it’s time they receive some recognition for their service.

“When the Vietnam War ended, many of our veterans returned home to no fanfare, no homecoming parades, no thank you from a grateful nation,” Lynch said. “We remember and embrace the service and the sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans and the family members who supported them.”

A retired rear admiral in the Navy, Lynch became superintendent of the Naval Academy from 1991 to 1994. As a Navy midshipman in the early 1960s, he excelled in athletics, earning three varsity letters in football and was a brigade heavyweight boxing champion.

Lynch captained the great 1963 Navy team which also featured legendary quarterback Roger Staubach, who won the Heisman Trophy while leading Navy to a 9-1 regular season record and a No. 2 ranking in the nation.

After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, there was talk of canceling the 1963 Army-Navy game to observe a period of national mourning for the slain president. But Jackie Kennedy insisted that the game should be played and it was moved back one week to Dec. 7.

That 1963 classic ended with Army, trailing 21-15, at the Navy 2-yard line as time expired.

Staubach and Lynch lost nine Academy classmates in the Vietnam War, and their businesses today support veteran causes. Nicknamed “Roger the Dodger,” “Captain America” and “Captain Comeback” for his football heroics, Staubach then built a highly profitable commercial real estate company in Dallas which expanded to locations across the country.

Staubach credits his military career, including the time he spent as a supply officer in Vietnam, for instilling values that he says can’t be taught in a classroom. He said these values are what make military men and women the ideal candidates for any job — particularly jobs in the business world.

Staubach’s list of values include:

Respect: This can include your peers, who have your back on the battlefield, or leaders in the workplace, who help create the kind of work environment that makes people love their jobs and truly thrive.

Dedication: From protecting the country, to a family’s legacy, to the careers and the opportunities lying ahead, or simply to self-improvement. Quitting is not in the lexicon of most military personnel; they’re duty-bound to the commitments they make.

Hard work: Ask any military man or woman if there’s a job that’s too difficult and they’ll humble you with a story of strength or courage. Military men and women do their jobs, and do them well. They rarely say “no” when tasked with an assignment and are driven by challenges.

Teamwork: Military men and women are always thinking of someone other than themselves. Although there are some personal agendas, they will always put the team or the big picture first.

Camaraderie: Staubach said when he sees employees shrug when they’re asked for a favor by a colleague, he thinks back to his peers in Vietnam bandaging one another’s wounds and not thinking twice about it.

These same values will be on display this Saturday when the Army Cadets and Navy midshipmen do battle on the football field in Philadelphia. At stake is the prestigious Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the service academy competition among Air Force, Army and Navy.

Fifty four years ago, when Tom Lynch and Roger Staubach played in the Army-Navy classic, America was facing some huge challenges; a nation in mourning over the death of an assassinated president and a country on the verge of sending more troops into Southeast Asia, escalating a war that divided the country.

Today, the nation is more politically divided than ever and there are ominous threats of conflict around the globe. A time for an unflinching military presence — supported by the kind of value system Roger Staubach used to great success all his life — has never been greater.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com