Wounded Warriors will serve as honorary captains for Army-Air Force

Air Force and Army will have members of the Wounded Warriors serve as honorary captains before today’s game.

1st Lt. Ryan McGuire, Tech Sgt. Matt Slaydon, Staff Sgt. Jason Morgan and Senior Airman Mike Malarsie will be the Air Force captains. Capt. David Rosencrans, Staff Sgt. Mitchell George, Staff Sgt. Chris Mountjoy, Spc. Gregory Bonine and Spec. Cory Fitzwater will be Army’s captains.

“We get stoked about football, and it’s a great sport, but that puts it in the viewpoint it needs to be,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “You realize the perspective of all of our branches of service, not just Air Force and Army, the service and commitment that men and women are willing to make to voluntarily serve is pretty incredible.”

Morgan, an Air Force fan who watches Falcons games from his home in McKinney, Texas, when he can, was thrilled to find out he would be one of the honorary captains. Morgan was in the elite Air Force Special Operations unit for 10 years. He was on a counternarcotics mission in South America in 1999 when his vehicle was ambushed and overturned, leaving him with a broken back and face down in water, paralyzed from the waist down. He was saved by an American missionary. Morgan was in a coma for six weeks.

Morgan's service to his country is a source of pride.

“One of the worst days of my life wasn’t when I broke my back, it was when the Air Force told me I was being medically retired,” Morgan said.

When Morgan heard he would be an honorary captain for Air Force, he called his parents, siblings, friend – and had his son Blake, a sophomore defensive end in high school who has interest in playing for Air Force, come in for the game. He competed in the Warrior Games in 2010 and 2011 and said sports have helped with his therapy. He coaches youth select football in Texas, and is thrilled to be a part of today’s game.

“It’s a dream come true, especially being with my son,” Morgan said.

Contact Frank Schwab: 476-4891

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