Soldier of the Month

Private First Class Brandon J. Thibodeaux, of Morgan City, is August’s Soldier of the Month.

Thibodeaux is the son of James and Barbara Gros Thibodeaux, and the grandson of Calvin and Irene Gros and the late Chester and Clarice Thibodeaux, all of Morgan City.

A 2005 graduate of Morgan City High School, Thibodeaux completed basic training at Parris Island, S.C., in August 2005. Just one week before graduation, in November 2005, he was given a medical discharge after he contracted pneumonia. But Thibodeaux’s determination and strong will to complete a life-long goal led him to re-enlist in the military in June the following year.

Thibodeaux graduated a second time from basic training Sept. 8, 2006. Following training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., he was transferred to 3/3 Kilo Company in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Most recently, the infantryman completed desert training at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. He was deployed to Karhma, Iraq, at the outset of August.

“We encourage our children to follow their goals and this is what he wanted to do,” his mother said. “We just pray for him and hold him in our hearts until he returns home.”

For his service to God, family and country, the Gumbo Entertainment Guide salutes Private Brandon J. Thibodeaux.

Soldier of the Month