VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — It didn't take long for 10-year-old Hayden Smith to hit it off with the Commanders leading tackler Jamin Davis.
"I told him that I did chorus and I told him I wanted to fly a jet when I grow up," she said.
Those kind of interactions are what makes days like Tuesday so special for the Washington linebacker, who is hosting a youth football clinic at Naval Air Station Oceana through Wednesday.
"Any chance I get, I tell them I don't bite or anything like that," Davis said. "They can come up and ask me any questions and I'm always going to be the first man to answer."
Davis, who's in his third season playing for the burgundy and gold, knows the life of a child growing up in a military family first hand. Both of his parents were active duty in the U.S. Army and the family has lived as far away as Hawaii, where Jamin was born.
"When my dad had to deploy, you never know what's the next move," he said. "A lot of people don't understand what these guys go through on a daily basis."
Helping the kids who now live the life he was born into is something Davis takes as a major responsibility.
"Showing them the way that I walked in their same footsteps," he said. "Knowing that it's probably hard at times and wondering when your parents have to deploy and go to different duty stations. As long as you work hard and stay grounded, anything is possible."
"To see how he's made it through school into college," said Captain Steve Djunaedi, commanding officer of NAS Oceana. "To play at the highest level in professional sports and to have him give back and to be out here with them, it just means the world to them."
He watches the drills with a helpful eye while giving out high fives consistently and answering questions from the campers at every turn.
"A lot of them are extremely energetic so I'm loving that," Davis said. "I'm going out there and getting an extra workout in or two."
He's coming off a 104 total tackle season with Washington, entering his third campaign in the NFL with goals of All-Pro potential and playoff desires. The Commanders begin training camp on July 27.
As Davis prepares for another year on the turf, he continues to make the military kids who now look up to him a priority.
"It feels really good to know that someone else understands you," Smith said.
"No matter if it's football, basketball, or President of the United States," Davis said. "Whatever it is, as long as you work hard, no matter where you come from you can definitely get there."
