RACINE, Wis., - The NFL may be off season, but Green Bay Packer Mark Tauscher is using some of his time to mentor young men and women interested in joining the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
"Anyone that lives in this country understands the importance of the military and the sacrifices made," Tauscher said during a recent visit to the Wisconsin National Guard armory in Racine.
But unlike pro athletes, he said Soldiers and their families do not receive enough recognition for the things they do and especially the sacrifices they make.
Tauscher made a low-key entrance to the armory, dressed in shorts and T-shirt - but just before he was introduced to the audience, he put on his familiar number 65 Packers jersey and talked to about 100 young adults and their families about the similarities of being a pro athlete and serving one's country in the armed forces.
The terminology is often similar - winning the battle in the trenches, aerial assault, taking the field, controlling the line - but this homegrown hero contends that many of the same attributes needed to play in the National Football League also apply to being a Soldier.
Tauscher talked about everything from his early days on the family dairy farm outside Auburndale to his days as a walk-on for the University of Wisconsin Badger football team and, ultimately, his current job with the Packers.
He said he wasn't blessed with a ton of talent, just motivation.
"I always tried to get by on work ethic and trying to be in the right position," he said. "All that hard work you don't like really doing at the time ... you look back, and it's what helped make you successful." It's that sort of devotion to training and discipline, Tauscher contends that makes the NFL and the Guard similar.
Tauscher's visit was arranged through the National Guard Bureau's NFL/National Guard Player Appearance program which gives pro athletes an opportunity to share their story with young men and women who may be interested in pursuing military careers.