Tongan Marines Master Football
In my continuing efforts to reveal the Tongan takeover in Iraq, I give you this story:
Before each game, the Tongan Marines perform a traditional Haka named Mate Ma’a Tonga, which in English means ‘To die for Tonga.’ (USMC photo/Sgt. Darhonda Rodela)
DVIDS
By Marine Sgt. Darhonda Rodela
Multi-National Corps-Iraq Public Affairs Office
Seven large, intimidating men line up and stare into the eyes of their rival team, whose faces pale with a look of apprehension.
“It’s a good thing this isn’t tackle football,” onlookers murmur. “Boy, that would really hurt.”
What they do not know is that these giant men, who look like they will pummel the opposing team, are just learning to play the American sport of flag football.
The Tongans, a group of 50 large Marines, caused jaws to drop as they exited their bus and stepped onto the dusty field for their first flag football game in Iraq.
The team was formed when two Soldiers and one Marine decided to put together a team of their coalition counterparts, the Tongan Marines, after discussing how impressed they were by the Tongans’ fitness level.
Army Sgt. Anthony Wright, Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone’s personal security detail shift leader, and Army Sgt. Jeremy Huston, team leader, and Marine Sgt. Rynne Brandt, PSD, improvised a plan to teach the Tongans to play flag football and enter the team, the Poly-Pride Marines, in a Camp Victory flag football tournament.
“The idea actually came from my boss, Maj. Gen. (Douglas) Stone, after we had a conversation about the Tongan Marines and how physically fit they are,” said Brandt, a native of Hilo, Hawaii. “As the conversation went on, I thought it would be good idea if we had them play flag football and represent the Marine Corps Polynesian style.”
With limited time before the Tongans’ first game, Brandt, Wright and Huston gathered the Tongans and began their practice sessions. The Tongans, who are accustomed to playing rugby on the island of Tonga, were eager to learn the new sport.
“The process of teaching was actually quite entertaining,” Brandt said. “The first day of practice we had a turnout of 35 Tongan Marines. When we stepped on the field they took the football and threw it around as if they were playing a game of rugby.
We looked at each other and said, ‘We have a game tomorrow.’ Then we laughed and said, ‘Well, we still have three hours.’”
For their first practice session, the team was split in half. Brandt and Huston took the offense and worked on the basics, while Wright and Tongan Marine Capt. Aholelei Saone took the defense.
“During practice, we noticed how big, quick and agile they were with the football,” said Brandt. “So we broke the team down by size and basically who could catch and run with the ball. We put the more aggressive Marines on defense. We broke it down for them and explained the rules and demonstrated a lot of the basic defensive and offensive techniques.”
With the help of Capt. Saone, who explained the plays in Tongan, the Tongan’s caught on quick, which made it a lot easier to teach the game, Brandt said.
“Teaching these guys was easy. I mean, they picked up on the game quick and they became faster and stronger and more aggressive,” Brandt said.
The more the troops taught, the more the Tongans wanted to learn.
“It is fun for us to learn,” said Tongan Marine Staff Sgt. David S. Fine. “We like to know the rules. It’s not a hard game, we just have to process the rules to understand … but we do understand the running, tackling and pushing.”
The Tongan Marines competed in the Camp Victory flag football tournament and ended with a 2-2 record. Before each game, they performed a Haka, in front of their rival team.
“A lot of people ask ‘What’s the dance we do before the game?’” Brandt said. “It’s not a dance, it’s called a Haka and the name of the Haka is ‘Mate Ma’a Tonga,’ which in English means, “To die for Tonga.”
It’s derived from ancient times when inter-island feuds were ongoing and each warrior claimed it as an honor to die for his respective island, he explained.
Brandt said the Tongans are learning the concept of flag football quickly, although they have their difficulties in some areas.
“The easiest concept they caught on to was, ‘Be aggressive, get the ball or flag and don’t stop ‘til you got it,” laughed Brandt.
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