Sgt. Lucas Hynes of the Georgia Army National Guard has been selected as a soldier-hero to attend the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

The U.S. Army and Reebok sponsor the All-American Bowl for senior high school football stars. The bowl is an East-West matchup of the top high school football players in the country, and is played in the Alamodome on Jan. 5.  The game can be seen on NBC at 1 p.m.  

The U.S. Army selected over 90 “soldier-heroes” from the active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve. The soldiers, recipients of Silver Stars, Bronze Stars or Purple Hearts, will be honored during the game for their heroism in combat, but will also have the opportunity to teach the students what leadership, teamwork and courage are all about.  

The soldiers will be paired with an athlete throughout the week’s festivities leading up to the bowl game.

Sgt. Hynes received the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions during a riot at Kabul airport while on duty in Afghanistan.

He also received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq on Dec. 25, 2005, when an IED struck his vehicle while serving with Georgia’s 48th Brigade Task Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom III.

Hynes, a member of 1/118 Field Artillery Battalion, has been deployed twice. He is a senior transmission systems operator-maintainer.

He is the son of Bob and Julie Hynes of Springfield.

There will be four senior student-athletes on the East squad from Georgia. There are also 10 All-American marching band musicians selected from Georgia high school bands.

Through the All-American Bowl, the U.S. Army is helping to shape these future leaders by providing a national forum for these student athletes and musicians to showcase their extraordinary talents. This year, for the first time, 91 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band musicians will join them to perform during halftime.

Through the bowl week activities, each athlete and musician will spend time with soldier-heroes from around the country.

For more player/musician info visit the U.S. Army All American Web site: www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com (includes alphabetical or by state bios).

For soldier-hero info, which includes an alphabetical list with personal bios, visit: www.army.mil/allamericanbowl/2008/.