Twelve stout seniors were honored for their leadership yesterday in their last game of the season.
One of the captains leads not just on the field but off it as well.

Andy Towner says "The great thing about football and the military you got to look deep with in yourself."

Onalaska's Andy Towner sacrificed for his team, and his country. While in high school, Andy enlisted in the National Guard. Then in 2005, during his second year of football at UW-Stout, he deployed to Iraq. Towner was part of the 32nd engineering out of Onalaska and while in Iraq he was a humvee gunner, part of an infantry battalion protecting convoys traveling though the country.

Towner says "It defiantly broke my heart. I mean being taken away from football given that much effort was hard."

While he was gone the team wore his number, then fifty, on their helmets. They also sent him care packages, and wrote a lot of e-mails. After one year, Andy returned to the states and the practice field and the team welcomed him back with open arms.

Towner says “They definitely looked up to me so I had to step up my leadership abilities, and take care of myself on and off the field."

Head football coach Duey Naats says, "Andy has been just a great leader for us ya know he’s a quality kid and an Iraq veteran. America should be proud of him but we are proud of him and we are going to miss him because he is a great leader for us."

Now a senior, Andy suited up for his final game in a Blue Devils uniform Saturday. His unit will be deployed again, but Andy missed the cut off date by ten days, meaning he does not have to go back. But for those that are leaving soon he has a message.

Andy says, "I got buddies who I went over seas with that aren't as fortunate as me to get out. Just want to make sure they get home safe, and everything goes well for them."