As part of his homecoming, Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo went on an emotional visit to this country's past.

Arrangements were made for the Midshipmen, who play UH today at Aloha Stadium, to tour Pearl Harbor on Thanksgiving.

During a ceremony, the future officers, in Navy dress whites, stood at attention as academy officials presented a memorial wreath.

"It just gave me chicken skin," said Niumatalolo, a Radford High graduate who played quarterback for UH. "It was probably one of the most emotional things I've ever done in coaching.

"Sometimes you look at them as guys you recruited to play football," he added. "To see them in uniform at attention, while paying their respects, there were a lot of tears. After this, our seniors are going to go out and serve our country."

Niumatalolo knows the perils of post-academy life. Two players he coached died in combat.

"This is volunteer," Niumatalolo said of his players' decision to attend the Naval Academy. "We recruit them like anybody else. They don't have to come. It's not like we have the draft. They come on their own accord. For them to come here, to serve our country when we're a nation at war, I have so much respect for these guys."

During this trip, Niumatalolo has tried to give some free time to his players, who have strict commitments to academics and their companies. He allowed them to spend time at Waikíkí Beach Thursday and yesterday morning.

But he wanted to make sure that they visited Pearl Harbor.

"Oh, my gosh, that's something I'm never going to forget," linebacker Ross Pospisil said. "I know we came here to play football, and we came here to enjoy this trip, and enjoy this great state."

But Pospisil said the Pearl Harbor visit reminded him of the "big picture."

"It's been awesome to play football and go to such a great school, but we're preparing for something greater: the eventuality we'll be out there," Pospisil said. "And just to think about the people who have gone before us is something that impacts me every day. I need to spend more time thinking and praying about that, about what it's taken for us to be here today."

Offensive guard Osei Asante said he never envisioned a military career. During the recruiting process, his parents became convinced the Naval Academy offered the best option. He would receive a full ride, a chance to play football, and a guaranteed job after graduation.

"They said, 'This is where you need to go,' " he recalled.

The demands are difficult. The players often do not have free time for extra video sessions or unscheduled weight-training.

Still, Asante said the commitment is worthwhile.

"We're about to be officers," he said. "Some of the guys who will be in the Marine Corps will be on the front lines in the desert. That's something we've taken in and accepted.

"I never thought in all of my dreams I'd be protecting this country," he added. "It's an extreme honor to do that and serve with the fine gentlemen who have come before me and will come after me. It's a true honor."