Appalachian State University football player Brian Stokes has a unique heart...it's both Purple and gold.

 

His heart of gold comes not only from his personality but also from his 100% effort as a member of the National Champion Appalachian State football team.

 

His Purple Heart...he earned as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Stokes, in his second tour of duty as a sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, was driving an armored vehicle on one of the main transportation routes near Lutayfiah in August 2004 when two 220-kilogram (485-pound) aerial bombs were detonated beside the vehicle.

 

And Last Wednesday...Mr. Stokes went to Washington.

 

Stokes spent last Wednesday as a guest of U.S. Senator Richard Burr at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Stokes was in the Senate gallery when new Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addressed Congress.

Stokes, a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq who came to Appalachian as a 26-year-old freshman last year and was a special teams standout for the Mountaineers during their run to the 2005 national championship, was invited to Washington by Burr, a Winston-Salem native and former football player at Wake Forest.

Prior to the Prime Minister’s speech, Stokes and Burr spent about 30 minutes in the Senator’s office, discussing the war in Iraq, Stokes’ aspirations of a career in law enforcement and Burr’s recruiting visit to Appalachian in the mid-1970s. Burr shared with Stokes that on that winter visit, he told legendary Mountaineer coach Jim Brakefield that while he appreciated all that Appalachian had to offer, it was just too cold for him and he couldn’t attend school in the High Country!

Stokes said that he was especially interested in Burr’s support of a device that could intercept radio frequencies used to detonate roadside bombs. Stokes was injured by a roadside bomb while serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq. Burr flew a flag in Stokes’ honor at the Capitol when Stokes was issued a Purple Heart for the injuries sustained in combat.

Following the meeting, Stokes rode with Burr and an assistant to the Capitol, where Stokes listened to al-Maliki’s address though a headset with English translation.

From there, Stokes visited the Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, which he said was the first time during the whirlwind day that he had the time to stop and realize where he was and what he has accomplished.

Stokes with his Purple Heart

Wednesday’s events were just the start of a special week for Stokes. On Saturday, he proposed to Kathryn Auten, a fellow student at ASU. The two plan to marry in the fall of 2007.

Stokes, who began his collegiate career in 1997 at East Carolina, will be a senior on the gridiron for the Mountaineers this fall after the NCAA granted him two seasons of eligibility last year. He and the rest of the Apps open fall camp on Friday.