Being a war veteran is hard. Veterans provide one of the most honorable services to the United States but often end up ignored or not shown the proper respect. For Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis, this is unacceptable.
Davis comes from a military family. His grandparents, father, uncle, a cousin, and his best friend have all spent time in the military. Since coming to Houston, Davis has made it his mission to bring as many military personnel as possible to Dynamo home games. Davis sponsors the Brad's Brigade initiative and last year invited fans to fans get involved in his campaign. This year, he is continuing that mission with the Dynamo’s Military Appreciation Night on July 10. But he knows that not everybody is able to come out to the game.
Wednesday afternoon, Davis took time to visit the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston to give patients there a small sliver of the gratitude he thinks they deserve. He took a brief tour of the hospital, then stopped by patients’ rooms and personally thanked them for the sacrifices they have made for America.
Davis spent time in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit and the clinic for soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After meeting the veterans, shaking their hands, and thanking them, Brad presented them each with a Brad’s Brigade T-shirt.
“It’s a humbling experience," said Davis. "I just wanted to show some appreciation. It’s good to see some of the guys with some smiles on their faces. Hopefully it meant a lot to some of them to get to know me. I know it meant a lot to me, because I really appreciate everything they’ve done.”
Davis and HoustonDynamo.com would like to thank the veterans who took the time to see him:
Leon
Toulson Sr.
Leroy
Webster
Jay
Brocato
Larry
Love
Russell
Robbins
J.
Poole
To find out more information on becoming part of Brad’s Brigade, log on to HoustonDynamo.com/BradsBrigade.
