Veterans Rekindle Military Camaraderie in YMCA Weight Room

FLEMING ISLAND — Steve Davidson served two tours as an Army pilot in Vietnam, two tours in the Persian Gulf and two tours in Afghanistan. Now retired, he remains enthusiastic about everything in life, especially when he’s in the gym at the Barco-Newton YMCA.

The YMCA on Town Center Boulevard is where veterans feel empowered when surrounded by their fellow soldiers – some on treadmills, others lifting weights and the rest by pulling weighted pulleys or stretching.

Most mornings, up to 50 veterans train, swap war stories and rekindle camaraderie from the toughest, most difficult years of their lives.

Most are older and have gray hair, but each still has an exceptional cohesion and commitment that a younger generation would not understand.

“When I was a kid, everybody went to Woodstock,” said Larry Hollingsworth, who was drafted into the Army. “Not me. I’m a retired criminal investigator with the Department of Defense. It’s nice to be around other veterans. It’s probably just an attitude thing. There’s an esprit de corps. People were watching you. There’s no exception here. There’s a common ground.”

James Crymes, who retired from the Air Force in 1985, said veterans can push each other to complete workouts or reach higher goals.

“We recognize each other and we have military experience,” he said. “That makes coming here much more enjoyable and allows us to motivate each other.”

Many veterans served in Vietnam. And like Davidson, Navy Capt. David Page served tours of duty in Southeast Asia.

“We get together once a month with this group to have lunch and tell stories,” Page said. “I’m up there a lot because they’re up there. Otherwise, sometimes it’s not easy to work out. My motivation comes from seeing people like them who are really fit. And I wish I was like them. I’m a little older than them, so it’s not as easy.”

Navy pilot Rob Springman said he would probably be training without the unofficial veterans group. Still, he admits his workouts are “more enjoyable” now that he has his military brethren around him. He used to hunt Soviet submarines off the East Coast and throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean. When he retired, he went to work for a soft drink company, but the work wasn’t fulfilling.

“I found that in the civilian world you don’t find that same camaraderie,” he said. “I found it here.”

Davidson’s training is intense, as is his military career. He was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014 after receiving three Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, 56 Air Medals, the prestigious American Legion Aviation Valor Award and the Daedalian Alaska Rescue Award and logging more than 14,500 accident-free flight hours, including 1,991 in combat zones.

Now he looks forward to being at the gym and with his military buddies every morning.

“This is where we meet regularly,” Davidson said. “As you know, the military community is strengthened by combat operations. There’s a camaraderie within the military, which is very important in this area because it’s a strategic area for veterans.”