Inducting Davis

Some know him as a pastor.

Others know him as the founder of A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope.

He’s also a veteran who is being recognized for his patriotic duty.

Randy Davis will be inducted into the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame today in Lawrence. He’s one of 15 Hoosiers joining the hall of fame, which honors veterans for their military service achievements and community contributions.

As a young adult in the late 1960s, Davis attended Ball State University to study broadcasting. He soon pivoted paths.

“I had gone to Ball State in part to avoid the draft, (but) I dropped out of Ball State and joined the army so I’d have some choice,” said Davis.

Davis enlisted in the army on Sept. 10, 1970, serving about 18 months. (He opted for an automatic early out when the military was reducing its soldiers in Europe.) He did basic training, advanced individual training and clerk’s school at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and attended finance school at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Lawrence. Davis was assigned as a military occupational specialty (MOS) 73C20, otherwise known as a finance specialist.

He served in Frankfurt, Germany, for 14 months as a payroll clerk, handling pay for soldiers stationed in Europe. At that time, all branches of the military were transitioning into the joint uniform military pay system (JUMPS).

“As you can tell by the dating, this is pre-computer usage, OK,” said Davis. “I was responsible for over 35,000 (soldiers).”

Davis worked as an assistant to the non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), meaning he oversaw other payroll clerks in his division.

“If they had issues, I’d step in and help, and always at the end of the month, when it was time to send the checks out, there was a pile of issues you dealt with and changes you had to make,” he recalled. “And that’s where I first started getting my leadership skills.”

Randy Davis served about 18 months in the U.S. Army, having enlisted Sept. 10, 1970. Since leaving military service, Davis has raised about $250,000 to provide $5 McDonaldÕs gift cards to veterans across Indiana. (Photo provided)

 

After leaving the service, Davis shifted into ministry. He served as a pastor for 35 years before “retiring,” although even in his retirement he has continued to fill in as needed at various churches in the community.

“I still fill in a lot of Sundays, I call myself a rent-a-preacher,” he said. “If (I’m) not booked, you can have me.”

He launched A Better Life — Brianna’s Hope, a local nonprofit organization for those seeking recovery — in 2014. Its reach has spread to 25 counties in Indiana and four counties in Ohio. In October 2021, Davis also started “Faith In Your Recovery,” a podcast focusing on “all things recovery.” Listeners from across the world have tuned in to hear addiction and recovery stories.

Being in the service, Davis said, is “one of the best things that’s ever happened” to him.

“It gave me a chance to mature, to be out somewhat on my own, though they provided housing and food, I’d never been on my own before,” he said. “I had the opportunity to start building leadership skills that certainly helped me through life.” 

Initially Davis had mixed feelings about joining the army. He noted his brother, Mike, was stationed in Vietnam and suffers today from exposure to Agent Orange. Davis’ father also served as a forward observer (FO) in World War II, returning home a prisoner of war. Davis said he “had it good,” not experiencing any sort of trauma while on active duty.

Davis was selected from a pool of 33 other veteran nominations for 2023, according to a press release from the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame. He highlighted other veterans being honored Nov. 10, including folks representing former astronaut Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom and former politician Richard Green Lugar.

“That blows me away to think we’ll be on the same stage,” said Davis.

There are three categories veterans can be nominated to in the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame: valor during active military, veteran advocacy and service to community, state and beyond.

Davis was nominated for the service category. However, he also orchestrated a veteran advocacy project in the past. For about five years in the 2010s, Davis raised around $250,000 to give $5 McDonald’s gift cards to veterans across the state.

“(We) had cards coming in from every state in the United States, cards and funding, in eight different nations,” recalled Davis. “We just tried to celebrate veterans wherever we  (could).”

Davis expressed his gratitude for the award, which will be given to him at the site of his old stomping grounds.

“I think too many times, too many people are overlooked,” said Davis. “I believe in the words of Christ that said, ‘I came to serve, not to be served,’ and that’s how I see myself. You know, I would rather serve you — I am much more comfortable serving you than you serving me.”

“But I have had so much support over the years from our county and individuals, the school system, people in political positions and everything, we’ve just, that’s helped all of this happen,” continued Davis. “You can’t serve someone if they won’t allow themselves to be served. The community’s been very receptive.”