Veterans Day in Carlsbad by Don Eskins

Cavemen football fans lucky enough to have been sitting in the Ralph Bowyer Cavemen Stadium stands on Friday night, October 30, had to have left the stadium pumped and knowing that they had just witnessed one of the most unbelievable comebacks in Cavemen football history.

In one for the ages, trailing the Hobbs Eagles 40-27 with just a handful of minutes left in the fourth and final quarter of play, the Cavemen stormed back to score twice en route to a 41-40 victory over the Eagles.

Although unable to watch the game from the stands, as I currently reside in Springfield, Mo., thanks to the Carlsbad High School telecommunications program, I—along with scads of other Cavemen fans—was able to view the game via youtube.com/@cmssports.

However, while the game itself did have a happy ending, it didn’t start out that way. Down 25-14 at the half, the outcome of the game was still quite in jeopardy for the Cavemen.

A Time for Reminiscing

Taking advantage of the half-time break, I got up and off my couch, made my way to the kitchen, and reloaded my coffee cup to get ready for the final two quarters of play.

As I sat down, out came the Cavemen marching band. And might I add, their performance was more than impressive.

While watching and listening to the band perform, I began reminiscing back to more than just a few years ago, 61 to be exact. During the fall of that year, 1965, a very good friend of mine, Jack Silliman, also marched while playing a French horn for the Cavemen Band.

At that time, the Cavemen Band was rather small. And while Jack enjoyed being a member of it, he felt like it could grow, improve, and become much more than it was.

So, upon our graduation in 1966, Jack set three major goals for himself, dreams that he one day hoped to achieve.

First, he wanted to marry his high school sweetheart, Judy Henderson. Second, he wanted to graduate college with a degree in music. Third, he hoped to one day return to Carlsbad High School as its band director. As its director, he felt he could reshape CHS’s marching band into the kind of program the kids, school, and community could be very proud of

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Unfulfilled Dreams

Jack accomplished his first goal by marrying Judy, but not before joining the Marines. Following their marriage, they were soon blessed with a son, John.

The former Class of ‘66 graduate felt that, while serving out his duty as a soldier, he could support his family and use the GI Bill to help get him through college.

Sadly, Jack never got to realize either his second or third goal.

Deployed to Da Nang soon after the birth of his son, John, he didn’t make it back from Vietnam.

As I continued to watch the Cavemen Band perform, I began to think about Jack a lot. Although he couldn’t return to Carlsbad High and assume the role of the Cavemen Band’s director, I can only imagine how impressed and proud he would have been of their performance if he’d been sitting alongside me.

Other Carlsbad soldiers who’ve paid the full price in defense of our nation, as with Jack, also had stories, and all left legacies of unfulfilled dreams. Lest we forget, as we honor them all on Veterans Day!

R.I.P. old friend!

Jack’s photo, along with the photos of 11 other Carlsbad servicemen who lost their lives in Vietnam, can be seen on a Vietnam Memorial, unveiled by former mayor Dale Janway during dedication ceremonies of the Carlsbad Veterans Memorial Park in 2011.