Proud to be an American and a Graduate of Texas A&M

On Independence Day we get a chance to kick back with our friends and family during the middle of the week, and all because some guys back in 1776 had enough of getting pushed around by an authority figure an ocean away.

Since than there have been countless times where our freedom to do what we want has been challenged--sometimes from within and sometimes from outside forces. Yet no matter what the challenge is we always tend to bring it together at the right time and get the job done--whatever it happens to be. 

That's what the American Spirit is, and while there are displays all the time there is one that I will always love because not only did it make me proud to be an American, but it made me proud that I am a part of the Texas A&M family too.

College football fans are always showing their support for the home team with 'white outs' or 'black outs' or in the case of Texas A&M 'maroon outs.' The concept is simple. Everyone wears the same color t-shirt so that the stands are a solid color in order to show support and solidarity for a common cause--victory.

Following 9/11 a few students came up with the idea to have a red, white, and blue out at the next home game, September 22 against Oklahoma State. They thought they might get lucky to sell a few thousand t-shirts for the cause (with the money to be donated to relief funds in New York. 

Instead, they sold 70,000 shirts and raised $180,000.

And this was the end result.

Well done Aggies. Well done.

[Information and pictures from AggieAthletics.com]