There’s something of a media storm brewing over the post-graduation plans of West Point cadet and Detroit Lions seventh-round draft pick, Caleb Campbell (This week's SI calls him, 'A controversial Army star'). If Cadet Campbell makes the Lions roster, he will serve his military commitment as a recruiter instead of accepting a probable overseas assignment fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a day and age of stratospheric military recruiting budgets (more than $600 million in 2003) and recruiting numbers so poor that the services find themselves waving moral and education standards, allowing Campbell serve as a recruiter is a brilliant move.

As you can see in the picture above, the young man looks like he was pulled from a recruiting advertisement. Handsome, chiseled (6’2”, 229, DING!) and well spoken, Campbell embodies the ideals West Point strives to instill in the Cadet Corps. He’s the perfect poster boy for the recruiting mission he’ll undertake and the Army will be better for it. If the example set by Caleb Campbell draws top-notch young men and women to West Point and into the ranks of Army, then he’ll have lived up to one of the key expectations of every officer: setting the example. From initial indications, those in the military concur.

As Campbell told Sports Illustrated, he’s received a ton of support (SI reports more than 300 emails, many from troops currently deployed), and with good reason. Anyone who’s worn the uniform has had at least some personal experience observing some conniving fellow servicemember angling to avoid undesirable duty—to include finding ways around deployments to the AOR—placing their personal interests above their country and their service.

While the military boasts a long line of Sgt. Bilko-types, there is also a precedence of our American warriors serving some of their commitment as athletes. From Gen. George S. Patton competing in the Modern Pentathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics (where he controversially took fifth) to present-day Olympians Dan Browne (himself a West Pointer and track star) and Dremiel Byers (Greco-Roman wrestling), the intersection of athletics and soldiering is both long and distinguished.

Today, all services have long-established World-Class Athlete Programs that enable exceptional athletes to train for the Olympics while performing modified uniformed. While the WCAPs are typically tied to the Olympics, Campbell’s case certainly fits the intention of this program, which should be able to evolve accordingly.

In recent days, I’ve been reminded that Ted Williams’ service as a Marine aviator in both World War II and Korea is the true example of an athlete serving as a “poster boy.” I can’t argue with that logic. Ted Williams is the quintessential American Man in just about every measure. I can only say that times have changed over the last half-century. Where Williams and his famous contemporaries (Paul Hornung, Joe DiMaggio, Elvis) were expected to serve, times are different now. I’m not arguing that this is a good thing, I would have loved to have served with Derek Jeter, but just that things have changed between then and now. In fact, Campbell’s scenario ties into two interesting current events storylines.

First, the curious circumstances surrounding the death of Army Ranger and former NFL standout Pat Tillman still draws headlines, and was featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes this week. While we must never accept the Defense Department spin machine’s attempts to explain Pat Tillman’s death and apparent cover up, perhaps Campbell can serve as an ambassador of goodwill that helps foster some of the healing for NFL fans and Americans alike who will forever feel jaded by Army brass.

Second, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Senator John McCain, faced a similar issue surrounding two former star United States Naval Academy athletes. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 1985, McCain questioned James Webb, then nominated to become the Secretary of the Navy, about two Midshipmen, Napoleon McCallum (football) and David Robinson (basketball). As SecNav, Webb was unwilling to allow Robinson and McCallum out of their respective five-year service commitments.

When questioning Webb, McCain said, “I would suggest a case can be made that Mr. McCallum and Midshipman Robinson have contributed enormously in raising the visibility of the service academies.” According to Robert Timberg, author of The Nightingale's Song, Webb disagreed with the policy and forbid both from playing professional sports as naval officers, although he allowed Robinson to serve only two years of his active commitment.

It would be an interesting angle to hear the opinions of McCain and Webb regarding Cadet Campbell, especially given that both their sons are enlisted Marines with Iraq service under their belts. If reporters actually did research and possessed some measure of creativity, they might have reported on this storyline. Instead, I’m sure we’ll be flooded with hundreds of stories detailing how Hillary’s out of the race. Thanks.

In recent years, the military has suffered from more than its share of bad press. This young man’s tale shouldn’t devolve into a divisive issue, but should be a rallying point for our active duty heroes and veterans alike (and I think it has). All Americans should be proud of this young man and cheer him on. Caleb Campbell’s performance on the gridiron has the potential to be a bright spot amidst some tough times for the U.S. Army, and we shouldn’t allow anything to tarnish this tale.