Brent Snipes remembers the day his platoon got the call in February of 2003 from their command leader that they were going to the front lines of Iraq in the United States invasion of Bagdad. His immediate thought was to call his parents. “Hey mom and dad, I just got told I will be going to the front lines in Iraq. I don’t know when I will speak to you guys again, but I hope to see you soon.”

 

Snipes survived almost a year in the Iraq war and learned something about himself. In life, it is vital to “fight for more than yourself.”

 

That mantra he has taken into his football coaching career at Valley Christian High School after dealing with a serious knee injury.

 

“When you get the chance and somebody appreciates you, it makes you want to fight for them that much more,” Snipes said.

 

It has all finally culminated for Snipes after years of fighting on and off the field. He is in a place “that is meant to be”- on the practice field or in the film room sharing his message. “Fight for more than you.”

 

Snipes grew up liking football as much as war and the military. He has ancestors dating back to the Civil War and his grandfather served in WWII. Snipes grew up on a New Mexican farm and went to high school at Hope Christian in Albuquerque.

 

“I loved football and played it from the age of 9 years old. My focus really adjusted and shifted to joining the marines when my school cancelled the football program. I always wanted to help people and get involved with something that was bigger than me.”

 

Snipes dropped out of high school at the age of 16 so he could join the Marines.

 

“When everybody says the Marines, it is different. It was always different. I felt something when hearing the word and I wanted to join the program.”

 

Snipes was in the Marines for a year after joining in February 2003. His group’s invasion was so critical even TV coverage followed his platoon.

 

“If you look at CNN’s road to Bagdad, everything you see on there was the 7thMarines and the footage is of my platoon. Their camera people came on the road with us.”

 

Looking back on his childhood, Snipes connects lessons he learned at Hope Christian into lessons he took into the military and the football field.

 

“There are a lot of similarities between the two schools as I look back,” Snipes said. “Besides some funny ones as the names or the colors, the teachers and coaches expect a lot out of their students. There are no excuses to be made. I learned that and now want to teach those messages.”

 

Snipes hit the lowest point in his life in early 2004.

 

“I ended up finishing my tour with the military after a year unfortunately. I snapped my knee in half while at home,” Snipes said. “I wasn’t able to do my job anymore. The surgery and rehab were strenuous and they said no more fighting in the Marines. I was about to go back and fight just a few months later. It was so tough to hear the news that I was done a job I loved.”

 

The turning point when Snipes landed on his feet came at a Trader Joe's supermarket.

 

Jay Olinger is the wrestling coach at Valley Christian and his wife worked at the Trader Joe’s with Snipes.

 

“I happened to be talking to her and saying I wanted to get back into football and coaching. I wanted to have that purpose of helping again. She said her husband works at Valley Christian. and I told her that I went to Hope Christian. We started to bond and she said I should call and see if I could work at the school.”

 

Snipes had a scheduled interview and the Valley Christian staff was impressed.

 

“Next week, I told them my story about war and they decided to give me a chance. They said I sounded like someone who could help out.”

 

That interview was the start. Snipes washed uniforms and handled equipment.

 

“I started out at the bottom, but that was okay because I knew this was my passion and a place where I wanted to be for a really long time,” Snipes said.

 

Snipes did not get paid his first couple of years. His third year he started to help out as an assistant on the sidelines. Last year was when he got promoted to JV coordinator and varsity wide receiver coach.

“That feeling hearing the promotion was amazing. I knew that the feeling of being lost was gone and this school was family and they loved me just as much as I loved them.”

 

Football coach Kirk Sundberg appreciates what Snipes brings to the table

 

“Coach Snipes is great with the discipline and attention to detail he brings to our coaching staff and program,” Sundberg said. “He is able to translate things he learned in his military training to the world of football while also helping all us keep proper perspective of life.”

 

Sundberg also recognizes the sacrifice Snipes makes. Teaching the players about football is second to how Snipes teaches the players how to become better men.

 

 

“He inspires our players to grow in their toughness and character because of what he did to serve our country in live combat situations.”

 

Sophomore Andrew Hanzal sees Snipes commitment.

 

“He cares about the players a lot. He pushes us to be the best we can be. He stands out compared to other coaches by helping out anyone who has any questions on offense.”

 

Andrew says the lessons Snipes learned from his commanders rolls off Snipes tongue.

 

“I believe in some ways his war experiences impacted the receivers. He motivates us by telling us about his war experience and applies it to us and how we need to play for each other.”

 

Snipes uses his war experience to prove points to his players. Life will not always be easy and there is someone who always has it worse than you.

 

“The war thing has this bubble where people don’t want to mess with you. If I say suck it up, it sucks to be you, no one ever has a response. These players understand where I am coming from,” Snipes said. “I was on the front lines in war and you had a penalty in a high school football game. It is going to happen, it is unfair and it’s wrong. All you can do about it is move to the next play. Youth learning to fight through adversity is so vital.”

 

The journey has taken Snipes all over physically and mentally. The experiences and lessons Snipes learned with the Marines will last a lifetime and be passed on to generations and generations. Valley Christian has made an impact on Brent Snipes and now Snipes hopes to leave an impact at the school.

 

 

“My goal is that they are better than me. I made so many failures. They happen and it is okay, and as long as you learn and move on, that’s the way. As I said earlier, I want my legacy at Valley Christian to have people remember me by: ‘Fight for more than yourself.’”