Collin Grosse may be preparing to return to his home state of Washington after signing with the Seattle Seawolves for the 2027 Major League Rugby season, but wearing a jersey that represents his country carries a meaning that goes far beyond rugby.

As the United States and United Kingdom honor those who have served and sacrificed for their nations this Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, the Major League Rugby forward finds himself thousands of miles from home, captaining the USA Military Rugby team on its annual tour of Britain.

It is a responsibility he does not take lightly.

While Grosse has spent the past four seasons playing professional rugby, many of his teammates have dedicated their careers to active military service, often in demanding environments.

"Especially being in a captain role, a lot of these guys have 10, 15, 20 years of military experience, and they're looking to me, a young 28-year-old guy, just because I've had that professional experience. It's really humbling," says Grosse, speaking to me on the phone while walking away from the mess hall at Sandhurst in the UK.

"This rugby tour is really special to me. It’s my third tour, the second as captain and is really kind of the highlight of my year."

For Grosse, becoming a professional athlete was never part of the plan. Growing up in Spokane, Washington, his ambitions were focused on following his older brother into the United States military.

His brother attended the Naval Academy, inspiring Grosse to explore the military academies himself. Rugby, meanwhile, was a relatively late discovery.

He first picked up the sport during his sophomore year at Mead High School, having previously focused much of his attention on American football.

"I thought I was going to go play D2 or D3 football," he recalls.

"But I really enjoyed rugby. My dad had played when he was younger and I felt that it was a sport I could try and continue to play after high school."

"The Army was something I was looking into so I emailed the coach of West Point, Matt Sherman, and said, 'I have an interest in going to the military academy, but I just started playing rugby. I don't have any rugby highlights, but here's my football highlights.'"

Sherman, a former USA Eagle, saw enough potential to offer Grosse an opportunity.

What followed was an experience that would shape him both as a rugby player and a future military officer.

"I fully was committed to graduating, going and joining the active duty military as an officer, and then doing my time as an officer in the Army," says Grosse.

"I never thought of being a professional athlete. Most guys who go to academies are like, 'Yeah, I'm going to serve the country.'

"But in my senior year at West Point, my forwards coach, Kyle Sumption, approached me and was like, 'you know man, you have the skills and the toughness that you could really pursue this professional rugby thing.'

"I didn’t know what to think during that senior year. The whole time I'm like, am I going to serve in the Army? Am I going to be an officer? Am I going to be able to go play professional rugby?"

In the end, Grosse took his forwards coach's advice. Under military academy protocol, he was required to submit a package of recommendations supporting his application to pursue professional sport, with approval needed through the military chain of command.

The process began in October of his senior year and was not completed until graduation day.

Fortunately, approval arrived, granting Grosse the opportunity to chase his sporting ambitions.

The timing could hardly have been better.

In 2022, Army Rugby completed an undefeated season to claim the collegiate CRAA D1A national championship, with Grosse playing his part in one of the program's proudest achievements.

By the summer, he had entered the Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft.

"If you would have asked me that junior year if I thought I was going to play professionally, I would have been like, 'You're crazy.'"

Grosse was selected by Old Glory DC as the 15th overall pick and went on to make 59 appearances and score six tries across four seasons. Interestingly, his Army teammate KoiKoi Nelligan also entered the 2022 draft and was selected by Old Glory DC.

Yet perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Grosse's journey is how naturally rugby and military service complement one another.

For him, the similarities between the two are impossible to ignore.

"Rugby and the culture of rugby and the culture of the military, it's almost like the perfect marriage," says Grosse.

"In rugby and in the military, you're all teammates. Everyone has to do their job. There's not one person that's going to make your team phenomenal. It's everyone putting their best attributes together and their best foot forward.

"The culture aspect of it, camaraderie and teamwork, is really what makes you a successful unit, a successful team. The personalities of military guys and rugby players are extremely similar."

It is a connection reflected in the success of America's military academy rugby programs. While Army claimed the national championship in 2022, Navy followed suit the following year and reached the final again in 2026.

But winning rugby matches has never been the sole objective.

Grosse believes rugby provides an education in leadership that extends far beyond the field.

"It's a tool to build better leaders. And it's a very, very successful tool."

The numbers offer a remarkable insight into that connection. It is said that West Point rugby players have a 3% chance of becoming a U.S. Army general officer, three times higher than the 1% chance for the typical U.S. Military Academy graduate.

Grosse points to senior military leaders who have emerged from West Point's rugby program, including General H.R. McMaster and General Lloyd Austin, as examples of that relationship.

The lessons learned through rugby, from making decisions under pressure to trusting teammates and taking responsibility, have clear applications in military life.

Equally, the discipline and resilience developed through military training can help individuals become better rugby players.

It is a relationship Grosse hopes to continue embracing long after his professional career ends.

For now, however, another chapter awaits.

After four seasons with Old Glory DC, Grosse has signed with the Seattle Seawolves ahead of the 2027 Major League Rugby season, bringing him back to his home state of Washington.

Interestingly, the connection that helped facilitate the move was formed through the very military rugby program he now captains.

Seattle's Director of Rugby, Allen Clarke, has volunteered his coaching expertise to the USA Military Rugby team, working closely with Grosse during recent tours.

It was Clarke's approach to coaching and, more importantly, his treatment of the military personnel that left a lasting impression.

"He's doing this as a volunteer," says Grosse. "He doesn't get paid, and the respect that he gives to these military guys and how he treats these guys really says a lot about him as a person and his character.

"He treats everyone exactly the same. That's something that I really respect from a coach, someone with character and how you treat people."

Their relationship developed naturally, eventually helping pave the way for Grosse's move to Seattle.

The homecoming also carries a rather fitting family connection.

Grosse remembers his father buying him a Seattle Seawolves sweatshirt when he was younger, long before a professional rugby career appeared possible.

"My wife recently rediscovered a photograph of me wearing that Seawolves jersey," laughs Grosse.

"It means the world to me to be able to go back to my home state where it all started, to represent that state."

With his wife expecting a child and family living in Washington, the move offers an opportunity to begin another important chapter away from rugby, while continuing to pursue his professional ambitions and the ultimate dream of becoming a USA Eagle.

"Playing for the national team is obviously the ultimate goal. But for now, my motivation is just to be the best Seawolf I can be.

"I want to eventually go back and serve my time and give back to the country that afforded me the opportunities to be a professional athlete, go to the United States Military Academy and live my dream."

Before any of that, Grosse's immediate focus has been on leading his military teammates against the British Army, an occasion that carries particular significance at this time of year.

The wearing of poppies, the laying of wreaths and the sounding of the Last Post provide poignant reminders of the sacrifices made by those who have served.

"The people that have, for both the UK and the United States, given the ultimate sacrifice, it means the world to represent that and play near Veterans Day and Remembrance Day."

For a man whose rugby career began with a simple email containing American football highlights, the journey has been extraordinary.

From West Point national champion to Major League Rugby professional, military rugby captain and now a homecoming to Seattle, Grosse has discovered that the values of rugby and military service are not simply compatible.

They are inseparable.