From Tribune staff reports
WASHINGTON–Sen. Tommy Tuberville honored U.S. Army Lt. Col. Wayne Davenport of Trussville as the July “Veteran of the Month” in a video released Tuesday.
Tuberville recognizes a different Alabama veteran each month for their service and contribution to their community.
“When we think of coaches, we often think of athletic coaches. But our students also need dedicated academic coaches, like U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Davenport of Trussville, Alabama,” Tuberville said.
“Because of his gift for building successful teams, Wayne was chosen to help redesign the special forces group following 9/11. His blueprint is still used to this day.”
For the last 15 years, Davenport has served as the JROTC Instructor at Gadsden High School.
“His supervisor describes him as a ‘Godsend.’ This is evidenced by both his success and the success of his students. Recently, Gadsden High’s JROTC team became the first program in Alabama to place as one of the most elite 32 Academic Bowl teams out of more than 2,000 teams in the world,” Tuberville said.
He also serves as the coach of the school’s Scholars Bowl JROTC Academic Team, which recently won both the Army and Joint Services Competitions in Washington, D.C.
“He spends many early mornings and late nights preparing for these competitions without complaint. Additionally, Wayne is helping build a culture of academic excellence that begins long before students reach high school age. Now, he is training elementary teachers on how to begin preparing students at an early age so that Alabama’s students can compete at all levels with other states,” Tuberville said.
The video that Tuberville released honoring Davenport can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=933352835215098
Constituents can nominate an Alabama veteran and submit their information to Tuberville’s office for consideration by emailing press_office@tuberville.senate.gov.
