VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Growing up with two U.S. Army parents is never lost on Commanders leading tackler Jamin Davis.
“I think probably some of the biggest challenges were when my dad had to deploy and stuff like that,” he said. “You don’t know what’s the next move. That fear is always in the back of your mind but at the same time it makes you respect the military a lot more.”
Today, fighter jets and footballs, which both represent Davis’s upbringing, were flying high at Naval Air Station Oceana as he hosted a youth football camp exclusively for military children.
“My core values on what I live by on a daily basis came from the military,” Davis said.
At a young age Davis remembers moving from Hawaii to Georgia, and if you’re a military kid well, you know the drill.
“It's one of those things where it’s confusing and it’s a rollercoaster,” said Gabriel Pierce, a local military child who attended the camp.
Davis is no stranger to that lifestyle.
“A lot of people don’t understand what these guys go through on a daily basis. You never know what month you might have to get up and move somewhere else to another station so just getting a chance to show them that I grew up around the same stuff.”
But as for the drills at Naval Air Station Oceana, they served as a reminder of that bond between military kids, Davis included.
“Just showing them the way and that I walked in their same footsteps and knowing that its hard at times wondering when your parents are going to deploy and go to different duty stations but at the same time as long as you just stay grounded and work hard, anything is possible."
That message was heard loud and clear.
“It's just really inspiring to see that someone from my situation made it to a really cool place,” said Pierce.