A U.S. Army colonel/Iowa graduate has taken the Tiger Hawk around the world

I was vacationing in San Francisco in 1992, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge, when I saw a Chevy Blazer adorned with the University of Iowa's Tiger Hawk logo.

I had no idea who owned the vehicle, but I left my Gazette business card on his windshield. I guess it was like putting a note in a bottle and tossing it over that bridge, seeing if it would ever somehow come back to me.

Many years later, I heard from the owner of that Blazer. His name is Robert Stavnes, he is a native of Postville, Iowa, a graduate of Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa, and one of those people who you're happy and proud to have on your side.

He's a U.S. Army colonel who has served and led in Operation Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world.

He is a reader of the Hlog, bless his heart, and has sent me occasional e-mail. I asked him this spring if I could share some of what he has sent me, and he has given me the go-ahead. I think Hawkeye fans and fans of sports in general will get some good out of knowing what a team -- especially a team from home -- can do for the morale of our military people in faraway places.

So here is some of what Col. Stavnes has told me in the last few months (below this photo of Col. Stavnes and another Postville native, Master Sergeant Mark Livingood of the 649th RSG Army Reserve Unit, which is based in Cedar Rapids):

I'd like to share with you some of my background and the Iowa sports lore that occurred over my 28 years in uniform.

I graduated from Postville High in 1978, Kirkwood in 1981, Iowa in 1984, Central Michigan in 1998 and Carlisle in 2008.  I ran the Army ROTC program at UNI from 2002-05.

My two older brothers have 2 daughters each - one set attends Iowa, the other set attended Iowa State.  One niece at ISU went on to be an athletic trainer at Drake while I taught at UNI, and we still laugh about finding our 'neutral corners'.

As a boy scout, my childhood chums and I got to usher at Iowa home football games.  It remains a thrill to enter our cathedral on the plains.

While working my way through college at Kirkwood, I remember listening to Hayden's early teams on radio and marveling at Dennis Mosley as a 1,000 yard rusher.

In the grandstands with Scott and other college chums during the big wins over UCLA, Nebraska and qualifying for the Rose Bowl in 1981, I declared my goal to eventually graduate from Iowa.

I went on to enlist in the Army, finished my degree at Iowa and was stationed at Fort Riley, KS.  From here the goal of being a Hawkeye took on a different twist.

As a tank platoon leader, I painted a black tigerhawk on my olive drab tank commander's helmet for exercises in Germany and the Mojave Desert.  As a scout platoon leader, I worked for a great battalion commander nicknamed 'The Hawk" for a Vietnam battle scar across his nose.  Suffice to say, I was mighty proud to be 'The Hawk's Eyes".

On the eve of Desert Shield / Desert Storm, my younger brother (now an Army Sergeant Major) and I huddled around a radio, barely picking up a WHO skip during the Iowa vs Miami football game.  Although we lost the signal before the final score, we were jumping for joy when Nick Bell went crashing down the sideline, leaving Hurricanes spinning behind his path.

Later stationed in California, my battalion's fixed call sign was "BlackHawk".  A rare victory at Ohio State following the terrible shooting tragedy on campus still resonates with me today. It was during this tour of duty you found my Hawkeye-ladened Chevy Blazer near the Golden Gate bridge and left your business card under my wiper blade.

From there it was off to our nation's capitol and a grand time with the Capitol Area Iowa club and the Iowans Of the Washington Area (IOWA).  Game watches at the Crystal City Sports pub were a must, and the group enjoyed other alumni events throughout the year.

The Balkans flared up next, the start of many consecutive years of service overseas. Some innovative signalmen actually found the satellite feed for an Iowa vs Iowa State football game, and a few glorious hours away from the arduous duty of the times.

A posting to Cedar Falls provided me the opportunity to teach at UNI and lead the Army ROTC program. There are jobs in the Army where you can lead hundreds if not thousands of troops into battle, or help staff decisions that impact scores of service men and women and their families.  But there are no jobs like that one where you affect the very service for a generation to come.  These wonderful Panthers did not flinch after 9-11, and have endured great sacrifice and separation from loved ones since graduation.  We lost one of our own when Lieutenant Brian Gienau was killed in action in Iraq.  His memory lives on, with the campus providing space for a beautiful memorial in his image honoring all who serve. A classy Head Wrestling Coach Brad Penrith hosted a military appreciation night during a home meet in West Gym.  The Panthers wore camouflaged singlets and then auctioned them off afterwards in support of Brian's son Keenan.

My duty next took me to Afghanistan, where I worked in shop nicknamed "The Five", as its alpha-numerical designation on the staff was CJ5 and dealt with strategic plans and policy.  I took a Drew Tate white jersey with me, because we were "The Five" and every day was an away game in Kabul.  I saved my mid-tour leave 'til the Hawk bowl game vs Florida, traveling from Kabul to Tampa in just under 24 hours.  I saw my niece march in the Hawkeye Band, met Albert Young's family at our tailgate, and couldn't have had a better time with friends and family. Although the outcome of the game was marred by the phantom offsides call on a kickoff, you could still hear Iowa fans cheering their team as they exited the stadium.  The Florida fans looked puzzled, for they didn't comprehend it was an Iowa thing.  I vividly recalled their hasty exit from the same stadium a couple of years earlier when Iowa trounced the Gators and Coach Zook.

After my school in Carlisle, PA, I took a post in the Kansas City area.  This afforded a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with midwestern family and friends and make it to all the home games and several away games the past two years.  I've brought old Army buddies from all over the world back to experience the cathedral of Kinnick in person.  This year I hope to host my British Army colleagues among other notables.  The KC Iowa Club is strong and a lot of fun.

What I've learned over the years is the value of such camaraderie and supporting young people in their formative years, and am very proud of Coach Hayden Fry in forging this fabulous distractor from the world's calamities, of Kirk Ferentz for sustaining and improving these beloved Hawks, and to all the State's coaches, teachers, professors and parents for pushing, prodding, leading, caring, teaching and challenging our young people to become smarter and stronger every day.  Using my own cadets at UNI as the example, I have few concerns about the generation behind ours that will lead our nation, businesses, government, cities and schools.  I just wish we had more of them.

This is from Col. Stavnes' latest e-mail to me:

AND air conditioning, with hot AND  cold running water just down the hall.  The door to our room was adorned with a gold Tiger Hawk, befitting any proud alum and fan of the Hawkeyes.

Cedar Rapids' own 649th Regional Support Group (RSG) took care of my team while we were in Khandahar, Afghanistan last month.  Befitting this Iowa Alum, MSG Livingood saw to it that we called the "Hawk's Nest" home during our stay.  The "Hawk's Nest" is a cinder block style room with eight bunks

My travels have also taken me to Qatar and Kuwait, and evidence of Herky and Cy are found etched on concrete protective barriers and school flags hanging from the walls and rafters of mess halls.  It was my good fortune to add the UNI Panther flag to the wall of a dining facility in Kuwait, commemorating a great school and a fantastic NCAA Basketball run earlier this year.

It is Independence Eve out here on the frontiers of freedom.  Warm thoughts to all back home in the great midwest.  And I mean warm, as it is a balmy 113 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade today.

OK, this is Mike again. The colonel checks in here from time to time, so feel free to leave your comments to him here.