Trussville educator, former U.S. special forces solider named ‘Veteran of the Month’ by Sen. Tuberville

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville announced that he selected an educator from Trussville to be his Veteran of the Month for July. Each month, the Senator recognizes a different Alabama veteran for both their services and contributions to their community.

For the month of July, Tuberville (R-Auburn) chose U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Davenport,  to receive the honor. Davenport serves as the JROTC Instructor and Scholars Bowl Coach at Gadsden High School. Davenport served 22 years in the military, including tours to South America and Afghanistan in the 20th Special Forces Group.

“When we think of coaches, we often think of athletic coaches,” said Tuberville. “But our students also need dedicated ACADEMIC coaches, like U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Davenport of Trussville, Alabama.”

“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.”

Tuberville noted the positive effect Davenport has on his students and peers alike.

“And for 15 years, he has been using his talents to help students find confidence and reach new heights 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.”

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“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. But, that’s not all,” said Tuberville. “Wayne also serves as the coach for Gadsden High’s Scholars Bowl team, where he has led FOUR teams to the National Championship. He spends many early mornings and late nights preparing for these competitions without complaint.”

Davenport is continuing to expand his reach to encourage, inspire and shape the lives of students prior to high school.

“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.”

Constituents can nominate an Alabama veteran and submit their information to Senator Tuberville’s office for consideration by emailing press_office@tuberville.senate.gov.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten