Sam Caldwell saw the telephone, and his eyes fixed. As tears welled up, memories flowed from the past.
Sam Caldwell saw the telephone, and his eyes fixed. As tears welled up, memories flowed from the past.
“I’m retired Navy…with four combat tours,” Caldwell said.
The former Naval Officer-turned-basketball coach recalled a team trip to Germany, where the Crusaders traveled to take on a dose of international competition. But the experience was about so much more than basketball.
“When we were there, we stayed at Ramstein Airforce base and I took them to the USO which was the last stop before I went to Iraq. There was a little special moment for me there because it was the first time I got emotional in front of my team.”
‘Emotional’ makes sense. Standing there at Ramstein, Sam Caldwell’s mind and heart raced, connecting the fears that flooded his younger self with the present reality.
“I saw the phone I used to call my wife…that day long ago, I wasn’t sure if that would be the last time I’d speak to her. Just blew my mind.”
But Caldwell made it through his years of service and today, uses his platform as a coach to relay lessons learned and values strengthened to the young women he leads on the court. Currently, that group is 19-1 and ranked second in the nation.