A Grateful Heart
November 18, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
This weekend’s military appreciation game has special meaning for several Bulldogs.
STARKVILLE – It's always a special weekend when the Bulldogs in Maroon and White celebrate those who defend the Red, White and Blue.
Saturday's 11 a.m. CT game against Tennessee State is Mississippi State's annual Military Appreciation Game. It's a time to honor the men and women who are or have been involved with our country's armed forces, and for several Bulldogs, it's a chance to reflect and be grateful for their personal pasts.
Linebacker Aaron Brule is the grandson of a couple of military veterans. His late grandfather, Lionel Duplessis, was in the Marine Corps and was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat. Brule's grandmother, Consuelo Duplessis, served in the Air Force.
"They both instilled a whole lot into our family," Brule said.
Brule remembers his grandfather as one who helped him learn many of life's basic tasks.
"He's the one that taught me and my brothers and cousins how to do everything first, such as counting money or telling time, before we even learned any of it in school," Brule said. "I just always knew him as being the standard in the family and looking out for everybody no matter what it was – financially, in life or anything. That's what I mainly take from him."
As for his grandmother, Brule expects her to be in attendance for Saturday's game. In fact, he says she rarely – if ever – misses a game her grandson is playing in. That love and support is a major part of what Brule takes away from his grandmother.
"She takes care of everybody just like someone in the military would," Brule said. "I learned a lot from her and still do."
Brule's teammate, wide receiver Austin Williams, also has family ties to the military – many of them in fact.
"My whole family – my dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents – all served," Williams said. "It's been a huge part of my life. I have nothing but the utmost admiration and respect for the men and women who serve our country."
The armed forces actually brought Williams' family together. Austin's father, Craig Williams, met his now-wife and Austin's mom, Carol, when the two were both youths at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Craig and Carol both had parents stationed at the base at the time.
Craig would later join the Air Force himself and serve for 23 years. Over the course of that time, the Williams family moved around, all over the world. The lessons learned during the period has made Austin who he is now.
"Having to move a lot as a kid, that was a big thing," Austin said. "It gets you used to different environments and people. You make friends and then move on. It's just kind of adapting to different circumstances and that helped shape me."
One Bulldog has hands-on military experience. Associate head coach Tony Hughes served three years in the Marines. Hughes already had a college degree, but enlisted.
"It helped me grow up and mature and develop as a young man in my early 20s," Hughes said. "When I got out, I had a specific purpose and knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be a football coach. I knew whatever level I coached on, it didn't matter. Whether it was high school or college, I was going to give it my all. I wanted to help make a difference in young kids' lives. The discipline and the work ethic and the structure [in the Marines], all of those things still stick with me in my daily life."
Hughes said he's a blessed man. He never had to fight in combat during his time in the Marines.
"But that was always one of the things you always knew," Hughes said. "If you were ever called upon to defend our country, then we were ready to do whatever we needed to do to defend our country."
It's a responsibility Brule and Williams are both keenly aware of as well, given their own families' histories. It's why – no matter the occasion – when Hughes, Brule and Williams participate in games like this weekend's, there's a deep sense of gratitude. They're proud of their backgrounds and tremendously thankful for all the men and women who have served and are serving.
"You just have the utmost respect and admiration for those that served and allow us to come out and play a game on Saturday," Williams said. "They're over there away from their families overseas, doing a lot of hard things for us to be able to enjoy playing a game and enjoy days with our families. It's the ultimate sacrifice and it's amazing."
