UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The final gun had sounded Monday on Rocky Bleier’s hourlong talk about winning and losing on the football field and living and nearly dying in the rice paddies of Vietnam.
For the next 20 minutes, Bleiler, 78, a four-time Super Bowl championship running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, stood with a welcoming smile in the banquet room at Glasbern Inn in Fogelsville, signing autographs and posing for photos for dozens of attendees.
Bleier had regaled the crowd at the Lehigh Carbon Community College Foundation fundraising event to benefit the scholarship program for veterans at the college.
He did so by mocking former Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s intelligence and also by adding multiple dashes of self-deprecating humor.
A woman held up an 8-by-10 color photo and pointed it at the former football star.
“This is my dog named Bleier,” she said.
Bleier grinned, took a close look at the photo and snapped, “Now I have arrived!”
When a man was once left bleeding from being wounded by gunfire and a grenade explosion, nearly losing a leg and not knowing if he’d see the next sunrise, humor becomes a trusted friend.
The fundraiser is a major event at LCCC. During the fall 2024 semester, the college is home to 161 active-duty military, veterans, National Guard and reservists, as well as 213 spouses and dependents.
The LCCC Veterans Club provides support and helps to make connections with fellow veteran and military students.
The Bleier event raised $23,500 through sponsorships, according to JoEllen Rooney, LCCC alumni and events manager.
“That money will be available for veteran and military students at LCCC, spouses and dependents of veterans and first responders,” Rooney said.
'Help them get recognized'
The next man stepped up to Bleier with two copies of Bleier’s autobiography, “Fighting Back.”
“I’m a Vietnam veteran,” the man said.
Bleier’s eyes widened. He leaned into the man even before learning his name. Theirs was an instant connection more than 50 years in the making and from half a world away.
“I can give the [Vietnam] veterans the recognition they didn’t get when they came back from the war."Rocky Bleier, Vietnam veteran and former NFL player
They chatted about Vietnam, about their service, about that unbreakable bond that only old soldiers share.
“This is why I do these events,” said Bleier, who was drafted into the military near the end of his rookie season in 1968 after being the 417th player drafted into the NFL.
“I can give the [Vietnam] veterans the recognition they didn’t get when they came back from the war. They can share their experiences with me and others.
“People today don’t understand what it was like when we came back from Vietnam. Until Desert Storm changed it, Vietnam veterans were not looked upon as heroes. They were never thanked for their commitment.
"I’m grateful to be able to do this and help them get recognized for their contribution. It’s taken a long time for that.”
'You have a responsibility'
Appearing physically fit and impeccably dressed in a fitted suit and red print tie, Bleier shared stories of lessons from football and the military — about leadership, commitment, long-range planning — and how they can be applied to civilian life.
“There are times in our lives when we want to quit,” he told the gathering. “Times in our lives we beat our head against the wall, when we think the grass is greener somewhere else, when we question what we’re doing and where we want to go.
“The moral to my story is, if I had quit [after not initially making the Steelers’ roster, then not starting], I’d never have played in Super Bowls and have these memories.
“The reason I got to play wasn’t my size and speed. I didn’t quit. Each and every one of us has a talent unique to you. It makes you the person you are. It makes you the success you are.
"You have a responsibility to use that talent.”
'I never saw him again'
A Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, Bleier shared the story of when he was wounded.
Blood poured out of his leg into his pants. He realized bleeding was the best he could be at that moment because “other men were dying.”
“I’m here because of a colorblind soldier who picked me up.”Rocky Bleiler
To underscore the importance of teamwork, Bleier shared an emotional story about being helped by a stranger after being wounded.
“I was eighth in line to be taken away,” he said. “I was carried out on a poncho liner — all through the evening and night, till they couldn’t carry me any longer because they were so tired from fighting that day.
“Then out of the corner of my eyes, a Black man fixed me up, threw me over his shoulder — my blood all over him — and onto the helicopter. I never saw him again.”
Bleier paused.
“I’m here because of a colorblind soldier who picked me up,” he said.
'It made me not want to quit'
To underscore perspective, Bleier told the story of being in a hospital in Da Nang — lying there, asking “Why me? What’s my future now?”
In a bed across from Bleier was a young soldier. He was missing an arm and both legs.
“He chose to make a difference for me by choosing to have a positive attitude.”Rocky Bleiler
Each day, Bleiler said, he would stop by Bleier’s bed and ask, “How ya doin’? You look better today than yesterday.”
“He said he’d see me out in the world again,” Bleier said. “He chose to make a difference for me by choosing to have a positive attitude.”
Perhaps the biggest turning point both in his football career and life, Bleier said, came in the form of a single postcard with 10 words.
It was from Steelers owner Art Rooney. It read: “Rock, the team’s not doing well. We need you.”
“That letter made me feel needed,” Bleier said. “It made me feel wanted. It made me not want to quit.”
