15 June 2023
EMPORIA (KSNT) – Serving 23 years in the Air Force, Master SGT. Larry Davis focused on improving safety and the work ethic of fellow crewmates.
Starting his military journey in the International Guard, Davis would go on to fly around the world for multiple tours.
“First one was two years in Europe,” Davis said, “then I had three trips to Vietnam.”
Davis would move up through the ranks in the Air Force, with the goal of reaching a position of leadership. He would achieve that goal, becoming Chief Inspector for the Quality Control branch, where 40 people worked under his supervision.
“That was our goal,” he said, “to keep all the mistakes down as much as you could. Write em up and tell em about it, show em, and you’ll be okay. Just had to use a lot of common sense.”
Over his decades of service, Davis looked for ways he could make a difference, not just for the countries he was stationed in, but for the men and women he worked alongside.
“You grow up in the service, you find out that the longer you’re in, the more authority you gather,” Davis said. “The better you’re known above your peers and the people just a step or two above you, the more you can work with them the better off you are.”
Today, Larry is staying plenty busy, he goes on night patrols twice a week for wellness checks and works bingo for the Emporia American Legion every Thursday night.