Army sergeant’s viral video from high above Chiefs game garners millions of views | Opinion
Brett Troxel is a sergeant first class in the United States Army. A 19-year veteran of the armed forces, Troxel serves as station commander for the Army Northland Recruiting Office in Kansas City.
He may be in line for another job title: social media guru, if there is such a thing in the military.
A video Troxel filmed before last week’s Chiefs home game against Houston and shared to social media had been viewed 5.2 million times on TikTok as of Friday. Troxel, 39, estimated millions more have watched on Instagram, where it’s been shared more than 20,000 times.
In the short clip, viewers can see a full parking lot outside of GEHA Field and part of the American flag draped on the playing surface there. Playing in the background is Kansas City rap icon Tech N9ne’s anthem, “Red Kingdom.” As the clip ends, fireworks from Arrowhead Stadium can be seen — the video could best be described as nothing short of amazing.
Troxel said he didn’t intend for the footage to go viral on the internet. It was shot from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, one of four that flew over the stadium that day.
After working at a recruitment event outside the stadium, Troxel said he flew in a chopper with members of an Army Reserve unit from New Century, Kansas, as a favor among military friends.
Forget boots on the ground. If you ask me, the aerial footage shot from high above Arrowhead is one heck of a sales pitch.
“I had no expectation of it being a recruiting effort,” Troxel said. “I posted it to show my friends and family. And now I have to turn off my notifications on my phone.”
Troxel said before last weekend he had about 3,000 followers across all social media accounts. When we talked, his TikTok account had more than 20,600 followers.
“Social media is a nice tool that we use to talk to America’s youth,” Troxel said. Or as the saying goes: We must meet young people where they are.
And this man may have cracked the code. Somebody in the government needs to give him a raise.
Troxel is a married father of three young children. He joined the Army in 2006. He said he’s had tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea.
A native of Beloit, Kansas, Troxel said he’s been a Chiefs fan for as long as he could remember.
“Since Day 1,” he said.
After living in New York, Texas and overseas, Troxel and family moved back to the Kansas City area in November 2023, he said.
They wanted to be near family “and to go Chiefs games.”
He said he’s flown in many Army helicopters before, but the flight over Arrowhead was the least stressful of his career.
“Very much so,” he said.
In all, 17 Army officers plus two pilots and two crew chiefs were in the choppers. Five soldiers from his Northland office were there.
As a die-hard lover of the Chiefs, Troxel said the ride was the best fan experience he’s had.
“I really wasn’t expecting the outcome of what happened,” he said of the newfound exposure. “Surprised isn’t even the word — mesmerized, really. Arrowhead is the best stadium. To have that view from above was one of the best things I have ever seen.”
Heck, from my vantage point on social media, I’d agree that the flyover video was pretty cool.
This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 5:05 AM.
