Photo By Sgt. Tresa L. Allemang | Louisiana Air National Guard member and Chalmette, La., native Staff Sgt. Gabriel O....... read more read more
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By Sgt. Tresa L. Allemang
Louisiana Air National Guard
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Among the Topps 2008 NFL card set are a few new faces, but they are not football players. They are members of the Armed Forces and range from Marines to Soldiers.
New Orleans' own, Gabriel O. Bird, a staff sergeant in the Louisiana Air National Guard, is just one of the 11 new faces found in this 2008 card set. He represents the Armed Forces 'Fan of the Game' for his team, the New Orleans Saints.
According to Clay Luraschi, director of product development, Topps wanted to find a way to pay tribute to the Troops, so they contacted the NFL with the idea of creating the cards featuring local heroes. The NFL, in turn, immediately began asking teams to nominate service members from their respective cities.
"I was deployed to Afghanistan when I first heard of this," said Bird, a joint terminal attack controller with the 122nd Air Support Operations Squadron. "I was just told that I had been nominated and needed to send a photo and some information to them for the selection process."
His father, Thomas J. Bird was ecstatic about the news. "He called home from Afghanistan and told us about it, and said to not make a big deal of it, but of course I did," said the proud father and Saints fan.
About a month later he received a box of cards with his face representing the Saints, but that was too long for his eager parents to wait. "As soon as the set came out, I started looking on eBay," his father said.
"My mom, especially, was very excited," said Bird. "But both of my parents immediately began sending them to family members, neighbors and I think who ever would take them," he said jokingly.
Tech. Sgt. Justin M. Tassin, chief joint terminal attack controller for the 122nd Air Support Operations Squadron described Bird as a "fast burner," meaning he has accomplished more than most Airmen during his four years of service.
"I've known him since he enlisted in 2004, and he has been exceptional at everything he does," said Tassin. "He just has a 'lean forward' attitude that enables him to be so successful."
This exceptional quality is what recently landed the combat veteran the title of Airman of the Year for 2008.
"I am extremely proud of him," said his father, a Many, La., resident. "I'm not just proud of what he does, but how well he does it. He was 24 when he joined the Air Guard. He has always thought everything out before doing it, which is why he is so great at everything he does. He believes in what he's doing and believes he can make a difference."
The Airman currently works full time for the Louisiana Air National Guard at the 122nd on Camp Beauregard in Pineville, La., as a joint terminal attack controller, directing air attacks. "This means I work as a liaison between the Army ground commander and the aircraft," Bird explained. "I brief them on how they can use the air assets to help the mission and then call in what they need ranging from dropping bombs to surveillance."
With help from the Louisiana Air Guard's tuition exemption and G.I. Bill, Bird will be graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., in January 2009 with a bachelor's degree in political science.
He says though he does not know exactly what the future holds for him, he does plan to continue serving his country. "If you're not going to give100-percent to everything you're doing, there is no point in doing it," said Bird.
| Date Taken: | 12.23.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.23.2008 14:20 |
| Story ID: | 28063 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 181 |
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