Then, Municipality of Anchorage Planning, Development and Public Works Director Craig Campbell took the podium and began to speak. It was a great photo opportunity in that the podium was draped with one of those Lincoln-era red white and blue half circles. As he was talking, however, the bright lights and the crowd must have affected me, because I flashed back to the game - horrible memories of Sun Devil quarterback Andrew Walter being sacked maliciously by a boastful Golden Bear. A blocked punt returned for a Cal touchdown. The memories swirled like fog around my head.

Once I composed myself, and was able to focus on what Campbell was saying, I came to realize that I was not in good company.

"In the late 1960s the military was scorned by journalists, and was thought of very lowly by the public," he declared. "Now, the military is among the most honored professions, and it's the journalists who are looked down upon."

The crowd erupted in applause. And I was right in the middle of them, with my camera and notebook, and a glass of champagne that I didn't pay for. I felt like a wounded zebra among lions.

The applause continued, and for three disturbing seconds I flashed back to that 83-yard fumble return that put Cal up 53-38. I was snapped back into the present when a half-lit old soldier behind me started shouting, "Houa! Houa!" I retreated at once to the dessert table.

Campbell's remarks are a reminder of the hefty chip that still sits on the shoulder of the conservative community. Indeed, the journalists who covered the Vietnam War were hit daily with less than honest presentations. The relationship between the press and the military became known as "The credibility gap."

The New York Times printed the Pentagon Papers - a clutch of secret documents revealing, among other things, Lyndon Johnson's plans to send hundreds of thousands more troops to Vietnam without the public's knowledge. Then, The Washington Post broke the Watergate scandal.

So, yes, the press in the late 1960s and early '70s had its fingers in things military and national leaders didn't want reported. Which reminds me: Campbell never did return my calls about the controversial $10,000 the municipality took from the Eagle River Road Board (Muni Shorts Eagle River, Alaska Star, Sept. 26, 2002).

The reality is that the military and the government in the '60s earned their reputation. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Arthur Sylvester, when asked in 1966 about the credibility of American officials when dealing with the press, said, "Look, if you think any American official is going to tell you the truth, then you're stupid. Did you hear that? Stupid."

It wasn't that I was insulted by the slur against journalists - it's a free country. Maybe it was bad timing for Campbell to say what he said on the heels of the ASU football game; he could not have predicted the mood or stability of the (cringe) journalist in his midst. But one cardinal rule of engagement is, "Don't make yourself a target." And it was Sun Tzu who wrote "He who struggles for victory with naked blades is not a good general."

ASU plays Southern Cal this Saturday; maybe I will have settled down by then. Maybe not.

The truth is, I really liked the idea of the veteran's museum, but the Campbell remark put a tacky slant on the whole thing. I'm all for honoring our veterans, but when public figures project mean-eyed partisanship, it turns me off.

The reaction I had to Campbell's remark was, "OK Craig. Game on."

Neil Zawicki is a reporter for the Alaska Military Weekly.