Toolsview all


Patch of pride
Former Putnam City standout wears 45th's Thunderbird symbol on his Army uniform

 
By Berry Tramel | Published: October 28, 2007    Comment on this article Leave a comment

The Thompsons posed for a family photo a few years back.

Dad Mike, an Oklahoma state trooper, wore his Oklahoma National Guard uniform. Son Jared wore his junior Air National Guard uniform. Older brother Brandon wore a simple suit.

More Info


Brandon Thompson, a senior football player at the U.S. Military Academy, wears a patch featuring the Thunderbird, the symbol of Oklahoma's 45th Infantry Brigade. By Jim Flynn, for the oklahoman
Advertisement

When Brandon comes home these days, he looks at that photo. And chuckles. No one ever thought he'd be in the military.

But in the military he is. Brandon comes home from West Point. He's a senior football player at the U.S. Military Academy. And he's proud of his heritage. He wears it on his sleeve, or very close to it.

Army football players traditionally wear a patch on their jersey, honoring a military division. The patch usually goes with the jersey number. Thompson wore the 2nd Infantry Division with his No. 95 the previous three years. But Lt. Col. Bill Lynch, Army's director of football operations, granted Thompson permission to wear the Thunderbird, the symbol of Oklahoma's 45th Infantry Brigade, which has been deployed and will ship out for Iraq in January. Mike and Jared Thompson among them.

"I'm extremely proud,” said Lt. Col. Mike Thompson, who called from Fort Bliss. "Only Guard patch they're gonna wear. I'm going to wear that patch. And his brother. And these men and women (in the 45th). For him to be there with us means an awful lot to me.”

The idea came from Brigadier General Myles Deering, who will lead the 45th in Iraq.

"He's a big sports fan,” Mike Thompson said.

Page 1 of 2

Toolsview all



Related Topics: Sports, Football, Armed Forces, Government and Politics



Leave a Comment

Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy. Please help by flagging comments that violate these guidelines. Posts that contain obscene or vulgar language will be immediately flagged and not posted.

If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Would you like to leave a comment?

Log in or sign up (it's free).

comments powered by Disqus

Ads by Yahoo!

Woman is 53 But Looks 24
Mom reveals simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
ConsumerLifestyles.org
53yr Old Woman, Looks 25
Mom reveals simple wrinkle trick that has angered doctors...
www.ConsumerLifestyleMag.com

News Photo Galleriesview all