Andrew “Saint” Thompson: Veteran of the Month
Any Veteran passing through Las Vegas has likely heard of a bar nestled in the heart of Chinatown, the Leatherneck Club. Patrons enter its doors to a place adorned floor-to-ceiling with rich Marine Corps history and memorabilia – A bonus: First-time Marines receive first drink on the house.
More than just a bar, the Leatherneck is a hub and haven for the Veteran community where you can rub elbows and swap stories with small-business owners, war heroes, UNLV Alumni, bikers, public servants, and more – all Veterans and supporters of the Veteran community.
At the center of it all, and perhaps almost as well known, is Leatherneck bar manager Andrew “Saint” Thompson, who admits his journey here was unexpected.
“If you had told me 15 years ago, I’d be the manager of a Marine Corps bar in Vegas, I would have laughed my ass off,” he said. “But life has a funny way of putting you where you need to be.”
Andrew began his military career in 2008 when he enlisted as a Marine Flight Equipment Technician. After basic training at Parris Island and MOS school at Pensacola, Florida, he served at MCAS Yuma, Arizona. He noted that his favorite time in service was with the crisis management team that provided security details for the airfield’s military and civilian VIPS. However, a combination of the Marine Corps force drawdown and a personal setback — a DUI — closed the door on his military career in 2012.
Andrew moved to Ely, Nevada, to be close to his mother, and he dove into casino industry jobs before eventually landing in Las Vegas in 2013. He soon heard about the Leatherneck Club, and like many newcomers, his first visit to the venue left him awestruck and nostalgic.
“When a person comes in for the first time, they're like a kid in a candy store looking at everything and stopping in their place, and that's exactly how I was,” Andrew said. The owner, Ghost, introduced himself and offered Andrew his customary first free drink.
Before he knew it, Andrew was a regular.
Now, as the bar manager, Andrew works tirelessly to oversee the daily operations of the bar and plays a significant role in putting together events with organizations like Veteran Social Club. In 2023, he helped organize key events, including the first Beers & Benefits resource fair, the Bunker Connect social, the Fright Night Halloween Bash, and Leatherneck Club’s seasonal Pool tournaments.
Beyond the bar, he serves as the color sergeant for Marine Corps League Detachment 186 and as an American Legion Post 149 member. He said the closeness he feels with his other Veterans, which he missed from active service, compels him to stay involved.
“I enjoy rebuilding that camaraderie with Veterans of my era and also different eras,” he said. “It’s just really cool being able to do what we do, and that’s what draws me back into staying here and doing what I do.”
As a community connector, Andrew’s involvement with Veteran Social Club stemmed from managing the bar and a respect for the organization’s community impact.
“Veteran Social Club has made more moves in the Veteran Community than we’ve seen in a long time, and I want to continue that momentum,” Andrew said. “I love being an ambassador for Veteran Social Club, pointing people in their direction; VSC always has something going on.”
VSC’s ability to bring Veterans together socially while emphasizing a non-salesman, non-partisan atmosphere sets it apart in Andrew's eyes.
“It truly is a social club that’s still supporting local and veteran businesses – whether it's two or 200 people, VSC just brings them together,” he said. “That’s why I love it so much, and I’m just proud to sit there and be a part of this and what it does for people.”
The synergy between the Leatherneck and VSC felt natural and is an added benefit, according to Andrew, who noted the club’s ability to bring in crowds that historically wouldn’t seek the bar out otherwise.
“Since we’ve started working with VSC, we see our regulars connecting with someone new almost every week, and we have great turnouts every time we hold events,” he noted. He hopes soon to see a VSC event so big the Leatherneck will need to shut down the parking lot to host it.
Andrew hopes to own the Leatherneck someday. For now, he intends to continue fostering camaraderie amongst Las Vegas Veterans with Veteran Social Club.
While his departure from the Marine Corps may have been what he wanted, there’s now no other place he can see himself than at the Leatherneck with his regulars, his staff, and the Vegas Veteran community.
“I realized that I missed the clowns, not the circus of the Marine Corps, and as you well know, we have nothing but fucking clowns in this bar,” he concluded with a playful smirk. “As much as they annoy me, I love them all to death.”
This article is part of our "Veteran of the Month" series that celebrates Veteran Social Club’s active members or partners and their contributions to the organization and the Las Vegas Veteran Community. See more of our Veterans of the Month by visiting www.VeteranSocialClub.vet/news.
BONUS: Q&A with Andrew
What was a big challenge you had transitioning out of the military?
It was definitely that you can't be a Marine in civilian life.
(He clarified: Like phrase things in certain ways, be abrasive and curse.)
It was just the amount of tact I had to gain back from being a Marine to talking to civilians. I have definitely made people cry unintentionally, but it's just out of habit of being who I am. And saying “what the fuck is wrong with you?” to this girl that just learned a table game. (And realizing) I shouldn't have said that. And she has to get off the table now because I made her cry. I’m like.. Oops. So that definitely was the hardest thing for me
Do you think a lot of Marines struggle with that?
Yes, I do. Just because, I mean, we're programmed from day one, from the day we step on those yellow footprints were programmed, you know, boot camp, breaks us down, builds us back up, right. And if you take it seriously enough, and you want to do well, in the Marine Corps, you have to be a certain way… Someone fucks up, and people are used to getting called out like that you can't do that with civilians.
What should someone know about being a Veteran in Las Vegas?
To be patient, there are a lot of opportunities for us. You’ve just got to find the right people and make the right connections.
There are a lot, there's a lot of assistance out here. Everyone has a nightmare story about the VA. No VA is perfect. But this one actually isn't that bad if you look at all the rest of them.The sources that we have to be able to help any veteran, whether it be through any of the nonprofit organizations that I'm a part of, or just in general, with VA representation.
You just have to be patient. Utilize the tools that we have put in front of us. They don't prepare us really for getting out and how to be a regular civilian again, they just don't.
If you met someone who was in a similar situation as you or if they had to leave the Marine Corps like you did, what advice would you give them?
I would say don't beat yourself up. There's a saying that goes around in today's Marine Corps: All the good Marines get out. And all the best Marines have an NJP. Right? Nobody is perfect. You can't beat yourself up over your mistakes continuously. I've learned from my mistakes, I make jokes about it. It's whatever. I’ve done my due diligence in making sure that everything is squared away. There's a point.in your life where you have to accept you made a mistake and you’ve got to learn from it. Pick yourself up and keep moving forward.
What’s your vision for the future for yourself and/or for VSC?
Everyone knows that I'm interested in buying the Leatherneck from Ghost when he's ready to retire. Which is why I'm trying to get more involved in every way that I can. I’m learning to understand what he does in the kitchen and why he does it… margins and shit like that —Thing I need to know, as a potential business owner. So with that, if I'm able to turn around and be the next owner of this bar, I'm definitely going to lean on VSC more for more events. And I have zero problem blocking off the parking lot for a big block party for the anniversary for the Veteran Social Club.