There’s no question that the world became a very different place after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. In the days, weeks and now five years since the tragedies, there has been a determined, steady and successful march toward regaining and maintaining the normal pace of day-to-day living.

The recovery effort is certainly evident in athletics departments at NCAA institutions across the nation, as student-athletes have resumed their pursuits of athletics and academic excellence. Even so, tangible and intangible reminders that life has indeed changed remain for student-athletes, coaches and administrators — perhaps no more than at the four United States service academies.

The student-athletes who attend the U.S. Military, Air Force, Naval, and Coast Guard Academies earn more than a college degree at the end of their four-year careers. They also earn commissions as officers in one of the military branches and, after graduation, fulfill a term of military service. Although the academies are essentially military colleges, their affiliation with the U.S. Department of Defense and, in the case of the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, makes them military installations. One of the biggest differences between 2001 and now is the security measures that went into effect immediately after the tragedies.

Before the attacks, the flow of fans and visitors on and off the academies’ campuses was unrestricted. Immediately after 9/11, however, individuals without valid identification, clearance or a specific reason for being at the school were denied access. Armed guards were posted at the gates. Vehicles and bags, even those belonging to academy athletics teams, were searched.

Some of those initial procedures have relaxed over time, but not all. At Navy, entrance into the campus requires a Department of Defense sticker. Valid identification also is necessary at Army. Certain areas have been opened at Air Force to allow individuals to access most athletics venues and the visitors’ center. Opposing teams traveling to one of the academies for an athletics event still are required to submit the names of team members and accompanying coaches and staff.

Athletics administrators have had to find creative and different ways of operating in the new environment that balance the need for security and fans’ enjoyment of athletics events. Troy Garnhart, sports information director at Air Force, said the 9/11 attacks forced administrators there to completely alter the school’s security plan. Efforts are streamlined now, but not without some trial and error — and some financial hardship. Garnhart said security costs have jumped from about $40,000 annually before the tragedies to around $500,000 now. Food and drink, with the exception of water, is no longer allowed inside Falcon Stadium because searches of bags and containers were slowing security lines. To compensate, the school expanded its vendor services so that fans have more choices. In addition, express gates have been established for members of the military.

At Navy, although the football stadium is off campus, other athletics facilities, including the basketball arena, are not. Those planning to attend on-campus athletics events now park at lots in downtown Annapolis and catch a shuttle to campus.

"It seemed like a big deal right after because it was such a change." said Scott Strasemeier, assistant athletics director for sports information and a 16-year veteran at Navy. "But everyone’s done a great job of making it work."

‘This is real’

On a personal level, the events surrounding 9/11 also made more real the prospect of service academy graduates being thrust into harm’s way fresh off the athletics fields. Craig Candeto was entering his sophomore season as a quarterback at Navy in 2001. He said the attacks brought his future as a military officer into sharper focus.

"At the academy, you’re basically a student. Although you’re learning military things, you don’t think much about what the future holds for you as actually being a military officer. Once those things happened, at least for me, it hit home. This is real. War is a real thing. I’m going to be put in harm’s way, possibly and most likely," Candeto said.

He also acknowledged that along with the reality check came a confirmation of why he and others were attending the academies.

"The reason we were at the academy was to train because of people who are out to destroy our country. Our job is to defend it," he said.

The high probability that any military term will now include being sent into combat has not deterred applications to the academies. Army Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson said that recruiting in the post-9/11 era is more challenging, but he noted a surge in the number of applicants immediately after the terrorist attacks that has lingered, even five years afterward.

The same is true at the other academies; however, enrollment at each institution has remained relatively unchanged, according to Ray Cieplik, director of athletics at Coast Guard, because the military branches are able to fill their officer needs at enrollment levels and through other officer accession sources.

Real-world values

Cieplik said student-athletes who choose to attend the academies are very aware of what they are facing after graduation, and in many cases, it was the 9/11 attacks that inspired application in the first place.

Air Force’s Garnhart agrees. "When our athletes come here, they understand — maybe not immediately, but after they’ve gone through some training — that they’re part of something much bigger. They understand that when they graduate they could be put in harm’s way. Kids who come here and aren’t prepared for that are usually the kids who don’t stay."

Those who do may have the opportunity to experience the increased understanding and respect for what the military does for the country and the role that the service academies play in preparing military leaders that the Coast Guard’s Cieplik has seen emerge. While it’s not overt, he said he sees the quiet respect by other students and fans for what the cadets and midshipmen stand for at both home and away contests.

Strasemeier acknowledges that 9/11 hit everyone hard, but he cited a difference in the level of patriotism among the Navy student-athletes he deals with on a day-to-day basis.

"To serve your country is about as noble a thing as you can do. I’ve run into a lot of our student-athletes and I always ask them why they came here. A lot of them reference 9/11 and they still do even though it’s been five years. I think we have some student-athletes who might not have come here before 9/11 who have come because of that."

Despite the current state of affairs in the world or what the future may hold for student-athletes after graduation, the consensus is that athletics remains an important and vital part of life on the yard at the service academies.

Strasemeier said that values such as team building, teamwork and leadership inherent in athletics translate well into the military. "I’ve talked to many guys who have been in Afghanistan and Iraq, and they will tell you that what they learned on the athletics field was as important as anything else they learned at the Naval Academy."

Candeto is one of those guys. Currently training to become a jet pilot, he said the academy teaches individuals to be well rounded in every aspect, and athletics is one of those points.

"If you would have taken one of those out of the mix, like athletics, there would definitely have been a hole in a lot of athletes’ lives. It was a very important part for us."