On Saturday, November 2, fans at Riccardo Silva Stadium witnessed the FIU football team earn a 24-17 victory over Old Dominion as the Panthers picked up their fifth win of the season. Most fans might have also noticed Butch Davis wearing a USS Enterprise CVN-65 hat on that day for FIU’s “Salute to Service” game, but many don’t know the story behind that hat.
Flashback to January 28, 2012, Davis had the unique honor of speaking to the nearly 6,000 sailors who would participate in mock war drills before the vessel’s departure to the Middle East. The USS Enterprise CVN-65, in service from 1961-2012, was the third-oldest commissioned vessel in the US Navy after the wooden-hulled USS Constitution and the USS Pueblo. The vessel has been dispatched to many of our nation’s conflicts, the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“I had a great honor to speak to the USS Enterprise before its final deployment to the Middle East,” Davis recalled. “What I saw of those 6,000 sailors on that ship was an amazing experience.”
Davis not only attended the mock war drills on that day, but he was also an active participant as the keen-eyed future FIU head coach spotted an enemy submarine that had slipped past radar undetected.
The US Navy is particularly special to Davis and his family, as he his father and two uncles all served in the branch. One of those uncles lost his life serving in the branch, after his vessel was sunk in the Pacific during World War II. Davis’ wife, Tammy Davis, also had family members in the branch, with her brother and uncle serving in the Navy. To say the Navy holds a special place in Davis’ heart is an understatement.
“Meeting those 18, 19 and 20-year olds and watching the way they worked and their composure during that mock war was truly unbelievable,” Davis said. “Witnessing that first-hand makes you proud to be an American. I got to see just how talented the youth of America is and I believe our future is bright because of the strength of our military.”
This Veteran’s Day we celebrate and honor those who have served and are serving in our nation’s military. They deserve our endless gratitude for their service and sacrifice to protect our freedom.
