LINCOLN, Neb. –
Name: Capt. Dan Davis
Military Specialty: 67J - Aeromedical Evacuation Officer
Years of Service: 12
Unit: C Company, 3 /126 Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance)
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Current Town: Essex, VT
High School/Graduation Year: 1992
College/Graduation: The University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) 1996
Marathons Completed: 3
Q. Why did you join the National Guard?
A. I joined the National Guard because I enjoy serving my country and I believe in the importance of my mission.
Q. What do you do in the Vermont National Guard?
A. I kind of have two jobs in the military; my first responsibility is to lead Soldiers in the accomplishment of their mission to safely recover, treat, and transport patients via helicopter ambulances. The other part of my job is to participate in an aircrew as a pilot for the helicopter ambulances.
Q. How do you train for marathons?
A. Every time I’ve trained for a marathon I had a different goal so I used a different training method. Lately I’ve been interested in maximum recovery training methods which favor a few quality runs per week, using other exercise and rest to prevent injury. Because I’m a busy father of 3, this method also helps me to stay engaged in family life without committing most of my free time to long runs.
Q. Why do you run marathons?
A. Though I’ve been running since I could join my dad on his morning routine, I’m not the guy driving down the road with a “26.2” sticker on my car. My first marathon was merely a bucket-list item to check; I never thought I would run another. Every time after that, external circumstances encouraged me to run once more. I now have a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon and running it once. After that, I intend to stick with half marathons.
Q. What drew you to running for the National Guard team?
A. I hadn’t planned to run a marathon this year, but I heard about the team, discovered that I met the qualifications, and threw my name “in the hat.” A month later I was surprised to find that I was selected as the captain of the team to represent Vermont at the National Guard Time Trials in Lincoln Nebraska.
Q. How does it feel to represent the Vermont National Guard while running in the marathon?
A. I was honored to be selected and am proud to represent our state at the Lincoln Marathon. Our team has runners with diverse experience and it will be fun to share in this event.
Q. Have you finished any other marathons? How many, where, which ones?
A. Yes, I have done 3 before. My first was the Anchorage Mayor’s Marathon in Alaska. Many years later I ran the Vermont City Marathon here in Vermont and most recently I completed the Baystate Marathon in Massachusetts. I’ve achieved a personal record each time so I’m expecting that again this year.
Q. What do you do for civilian work?
A. I’ve worked in health care throughout my career; always finding a new avenue of the discipline to explore. Currently I work for a company named QPID Health, which uses natural language processing software to create innovative solutions to problems in health care.
Q. What do you think is the greatest benefit of being in the National Guard?
A. The greatest benefit to me is the purpose. The President has tremendous power to deploy America’s sons and daughters in to dangerous situations. My job is to ensure that when that young American is injured, they get rapid treatment to ensure they will be safely returned to their family.
Q. How has being a National Guard member benefited you in your local community and job?
A. The military has benefited me in my job because it has given me diverse exposure to multiple disciplines of the career field. I frequently use experience and knowledge from my civilian career to assist in my military career, and vice versa.
Q. What is your most memorable military moment?
A. The military has taken me a lot of places. It’s very difficult to pick one “military moment” that stands out for me but the best days are those when you come home from a mobilization, feeling tired, accomplished, and, most importantly, welcomed home by the family that you missed so much.
Q. How long have you lived in Vermont?
A. I’ve lived in Vermont since 2000.
Q. What is your favorite aspect of living or working where you do?
A. I love living in a community that values public service, volunteerism, healthy living, and the great outdoors. These values are part of our culture in Vermont and it makes me proud to live here.
Q. What has surprised you about the Vermont National Guard?
A. When my kids were young, I took a break from military service, returning a few years ago. What surprised me on my return was the professionalism; it reached a whole new level while I was away and makes me proud to be a member of this team.
Q. What is your favorite part about serving in the VT National Guard?
A. My favorite part about serving in the Vermont National Guard, besides the MEDEVAC mission, is the comradery; this is my second family.