Northwestern State University recognized two individuals by naming them Honorary Captains for the Oct. 27 Homecoming football game.
Colonel Eric Sweeney, U.S. Army Retired, served 26 years in the Army Corps of Engineers. In 2000, he completed a peacekeeping mission to Bosnia just before deploying to Afghanistan as part of the U.S. initial entry forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Colonel Sweeney immediately deployed again with initial entry forces in 2002 – 2003, this time to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Colonel Sweeney is a 1986 NSU alumnus. He commanded the ROTC Black Knights Drill Team, was a Distinguished Military Graduate, the President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and selected for Who’s Who among College Students.
Colonel Sweeney’s hometown is Bossier City, and he now serves as the JROTC Director of Army Instruction for Caddo Parish Schools.
Captain Justin Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Science degrees from Northwestern. He was the Kappa Alpha Psi Theta Lambda Chapter President, vice president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and African American Caucus, Class Senator for the Student Government Association and treasurer for NAACP.
In 2010, he commissioned in the Military Intelligence Corps through NSU’s ROTC program and has served 12 years in the Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan.
Captain Thompson’s hometown is Shreveport. He is currently assigned as a Sustainment Observer Coach with JROTC Operations Group at Fort Polk.
Northwestern State has a tradition of honoring those who served in the military prior to all home football and basketball games.
