At Saturday’s halftime show, the Golden Band from Tigerland wasn’t the only group who marched onto the field.
Members of the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion and 239th Military Police Company — many of them University alumni — gathered on the field after the band’s performance to be recognized for their recent service abroad.
Commander of the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, Maj. Gary Whipple II, said there were a total of 240 service members and 367 family members among the two groups in attendance.
The Minuteman Award was also presented to Interim System President and Chancellor William “Bill” Jenkins for the University’s continued support of the Louisiana National Guard.
Whipple’s battalion came back from Afghanistan in November 2011 after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. The military police company returned in December, he said.
Leaders of the groups looked for a way to publicly recognize the soldiers, and after asking the University about venues, the school volunteered the field during the Idaho game.
“I’m humbled,” Whipple said of the opportunity to be recognized at his alma mater in Tiger Stadium.
Whipple was an ROTC graduate and a member of the Tiger Band. He said he was proud to be a part of the University’s military history.
“It’s just nice that the University recognizes contributions of service members. I’m very proud to have graduated from here and been commissioned from LSU,” he said.
Jason Kocsis is an interrogator with the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, and his mission in Afghanistan was to speak with detainees to gather information vital to soldiers. Kocsis said he wasn’t nervous about walking onto the field because he played football in college, but this time was different because he was in his military uniform.
“It’s very respectful for the college community to recognize us like that,” Kocsis said.
Kocsis said he was grateful to the University for bringing the soldiers and their families to the game. Because this was his first LSU football game, he was most excited about being inside the stadium and recognized in front of everyone in attendance.
Kocsis brought his seven-year-old daughter to the game. He said she was thrilled to be there, but it didn’t start out that way.
“She wasn’t at first because we had to miss a Daddy Barbeque at her school today,” he said. “But as we pulled up and she saw the stadium, her eyes lit up and she said this is the most exciting thing she’s ever done.”
For Kocsis, being recognized publicly at the stadium made his service “worthwhile.” He said the recognition shows how much people appreciate the service of the military.
Sean Burbano, a human intelligence collector with the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, said this was his second LSU game, but he was looking forward to seeing the game from the field perspective.
“The crowd here at Tiger Stadium is unbelievable,” Burbano said.
Burbano said a friend accompanied with him to the game because his wife is currently serving overseas.
“I’m very thankful to be given the opportunity to come out here, to be recognized by everyone for what we’ve done,” he said. “I always appreciate it when people show their support.”
Burbano said he was flattered to be honored in Tiger Stadium.
Capt. Katasha Cherry of the 239th Military Police Company served 11 months in Iraq before returning home in December.
She said the recognition at the game made her realize that people understand what military members go through.
“It reminds us of how appreciative everyone is because we’ve been home for a while now,” Cherry said.
While serving overseas, Cherry said she sometimes felt alone and thought no one understood.
“Everyone’s embraced us,” she said. “The LSU family, our own families, everyone’s embraced us. … It’s like they’re giving us one huge hug.”
Cherry’s sister and niece came to the game to support her. She said they were very proud of the military being honored.
“They love any opportunity to say, ‘That’s my sister,’” she said.
