Lou Holtz Visits USS Abraham Lincoln

Legendary football coach Lou Holtz paid a visit to the Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) July 24-25.   Holtz, also a best-selling author and motivational speaker, visited the aircraft carrier to meet the crew and to give his thanks for their service.

Holtz observed flight deck operations, toured Lincoln spaces, and delivered a speech in the wardroom regarding the importance of leadership and teamwork. He spent the evening in the first class mess talking to the crew and signing autographs and had breakfast with the chief petty officers the following morning.

“I’m not here because of me, I’m here because of the sacrifice you people make,” Holtz said. “I can live a free life and have freedom of choices and sleep safely and not worry about my family because of the sacrifices our armed services make.”  This isn’t the first time Holtz has shown his appreciation for service members. Just last year he visited seven military posts in Iraq over the course of a week.   “I try to show the military how much I appreciate them,” Holtz said. “I just wish everybody could come and see the commitment and the talent and the ability of these young people.”

Holtz is renowned for his inspirational speeches and his dedication and belief in teamwork. Holtz led six college football teams to bowl games within two years of joining each program. To date, Holtz is the only coach to ever guide four different programs to final top 20 rankings.   “If you want to fail you have a right to fail,” Holtz said. “But you don’t have the right to cause other people to fail. I mean if you want to fail by yourself, go do it, but nobody has the right to cause other people to fail. So any time you’re part of the team, part of a family, part of an organization, you have an obligation to other people. And you must honor that commitment to other people.”

“That’s what’s made our armed services great,” he continued. “Commitment to your fellow [service members] and your fellow human beings is what motivates you to do that job to the best of your ability even though you’re tired, unappreciated, overworked, underpaid. You still feel that obligation and that’s what keeps you going and that’s what keeps us free, safe, and makes our military the best in the world: the obligation and commitment we have to other people.”

Holtz said he was astounded by the sheer magnitude of Lincoln, and realized the importance of each and every Sailor’s role on board.  “The commitment of people here is great.  You go up on the flight deck and everybody has a role and everybody does it. The magnitude of 5,000 Sailors on [board] when it’s fully equipped, that’s bigger than the city I was born in. Just to see how big this is, how well run it is, how efficient it is and how important it is.”  “I love this country, I love our way of life [and] I love our freedom. But, you have to be willing to defend it,” Holtz said.

Holtz said his father was in the Navy and when he was asked what he did he said, “I did my duty.” Holtz said only much later in his life did he find out that his father was at Midway, Iwo Jima, and all the various major battles in the Pacific after 1942.  “That was his duty, I just appreciate what you do. Not many people will say that. It’s never been more important than it is at the present time, amidst the dangers that we face.”