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

By Berry Tramel Comments 1
Published: October 28, 2007

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.

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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

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. "He asked, ‘How come your son's not wearing the 45th patch?' ”

So Mike Thompson pitched the idea to Lynch, who said, "As soon as you get it up here, we'll get it sewn on.”

So Brandon Thompson has played his senior season at Army with the Thunderbird.

"I wanted to represent them,” he said. "Show some respect for their unit, wearing the patch of our family, the patch that represents Oklahoma.”

Lynch told Thompson he is the first Army player to wear a National Guard patch. We appreciate it here in Oklahoma. The 45th, with 2,600 Oklahomans deployed, touches many lives. My son-in-law is at Fort Bliss with Mike and Jared Thompson, awaiting January, awaiting Iraq.

Before deployment, the Thompson family made it to two Army football games this season.

"I love going up there,” Mike Thompson said. "The whole place is like a big museum. For a military guy, it makes you proud to walk through there.

Brandon never dreamed of going to Army. Never even knew what West Point was, until a recruiter came to Putnam City. Army was the first school to recruit the defensive end, which piqued Thompson's interest, and when he toured the school, he was hooked.

"I saw a lot of the tradition,” Thompson said. "An old program that needed to be turned around. I wanted to be a part of that.”

He had been part of a turnaround at Putnam City, a long-time Oklahoma football power that had fallen in repute for more than two decades. In Thompson's sophomore year, the Pirates went 2-8. As a junior, 5-5. But as a senior, Putnam City was 10-2 and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals under coach Jim Burton. PC's success has continued under Mark Little.

Such a turnaround has not come to Army. No winning season since 1996. A record of 17-73 this decade. No win over Navy since 2001.

But Thompson, who has started most of the last three seasons, doesn't regret becoming a Cadet. He calls it a great experience.

He's played at Notre Dame. Played Texas A&M in the Alamodome. Played at Georgia Tech and Boston College. Played in Army-Navy games, the greatest rivalry in American sport.

"Just a great atmosphere, a great experience,” Thompson said of playing football at Army. "A lot of hard work, but it's been a great experience.”

You've heard the stories about football players in the service academies. Summers spent crawling through woods, working on artillery. Driving tanks. Firing M16s. Autumns spent taking 21 credit hours while also being expected to prepare for Wake Forest's offense.

"It's been a rewarding experience,” said Thompson, "A rough couple of seasons. Had some hard times. Lost some close games. I've learned a lot of lessons about working and believing you can pull it off.”

Thompson is scheduled to graduate in May. His dad hopes to be there, if the 45th is granted any leave time in Iraq. Mike Thompson was in Kuwait when his son graduated from Putnam City.

After West Point, Thompson will serve at least a five-year commitment to the Army. Which could take him to Iraq, too. Which could take him anywhere.

Maybe Thompson will stay longer with the Army. Either way, he says, he's been set up for life by his experience at West Point.

"It's a really neat thing to be serving your country,” said Thompson, who should know.