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Volume XI, Issue 8 August 12, 2009War Storiest was a different world when Tony Schumacher rolled out in the ArmyTop Fuel car for the first time, at the 2000 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.September 11 was an unthinkable that became reality the next year.Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq followed. Suddenly, many of us looked atsoldiers in a much different – I hope, a more appreciative – way.Schumacher already had fought to the first of what now are six NHRA TopFuel championships when he got word he was a candidate for the prestigiousArmy sponsorship.“They (marketing agency) had come down to 12 teams,” Schumacherremembered during a conversation with me earlier this Full Throttle season.“Then they narrowed it down to three teams. We were one of them. The Armyshowed up (around the Sonoma race) to tell us we were not going to get it. Iwalked into the meeting with my head shaved. I was not going to let anyoneelse drive the Army car.“My dad (Don) puts together an incredible team, so the plan was laid out. But closing the deal is when I walked inthere and said, ‘I’ll do anything for my team. Don’t forget that.’”So “Sarge” Schumacher not only got a sponsor. He got the responsibility to help recruit volunteers who would bewilling to die for America.ADVERTISEMENT“The U.S. Army car – that’s the point. It’s so much bigger, the vision of what it was going to bring was incredible. I’vesaid it a million times: You’re as good as the people you surround yourself with. I appreciate the Matco toolsdistributors. I appreciate the people that make Budweiser. But these are U.S. Army soldiers. The training, thediscipline, the values of those people are what matters. It didn’t matter if it was war or not. You’re still recruitingpeople who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way for their country.“You can’t fake sell the Army. You can ask someone to drink a beverage. So what if they don’t like it? I’m askingthem to put themselves in harm’s way for us. Now that we’re in the middle of battle, people ask me the samequestion, ‘How can you ask kids to do that?’ I’d be standing right there next to them if I could. I love what they do. If Icould go back to high school, I would leave high school before college, to fly helicopters.Michael Knight's All Business - War Stories - Page 1 of 2 - DragRacingOnline.com