GSU Eagles to honor guardsmen Saturday

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By Dal Cannady bio | email

STATESBORO, GA (WTOC) - When the Georgia Southern Eagles take the field Saturday, they'll have thousands of troops cheering a world away.

Georgia National Guard commanders stopped by practice Wednesday to thank the Eagles for wearing 48th Brigade stickers on their helmets this Saturday as part of military appreciation day.

Players heard how closely Georgia National Guard troops follow their team online during their deployment to Afghanistan.

Players and guardsmen are excited for Saturday.

"A lot of people compare football to war because it is a battle out there on the field. They are over there fighting for their lives. We're just playing a game," compared Eagles senior Josh Barker.

"It ties us together and shows us the support of the community for what our mission is in afghanistan at the same time we're supporting the team. It ties us together," explained Lt. Col. Tom Bright, who commands the 48th Brigade's Special Troops Battalion, which is based in Statesboro.

Bright said he was delighted to be home on two weeks of leave from Afghanistan on the Eagles appreciation day and said he would be at Paulson Stadium for the team's last game of the year.

A guardsmen home on leave will lead the team to the field with an American flag and GSU flag signed by deployed troops. The Eagles take on the Citadel bulldogs Saturday.