Farewell to Captain Stephen F. Davis Jr., Shipmate and Friend

Gerard Roncolato, a retired Navy captain currently working in the Pentagon, was one of the late Captain Steve Davis's closest friends. Steve was Gerry's executive officer when the latter commanded USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. The two officers formed a friendship on board the ship that only grew stronger and closer in the years that followed.

Captain Roncolato delivered a moving eulogy to his old shipmate at a February 28 Memorial Service for Captain Davis at the Fort Myer Chapel, which was packed beyond capacity for the occasion:

Steve Davis was a teacher. Yes, he was a loving husband, a father, son, brother, uncle; he was a warrior, tactician, strategist, analyst, writer; he was a shipmate, a friend to the end, a mentor. He was all of these things, as all great leaders are…and he was surely one of the best leaders this Navy has had. But, above all, as I reflected on Steve, in the end, it was his capacity as a teacher that defines him in my eyes.

Steve taught all of us. He showed us how to live, to love, and to gain perspective by connecting with our history; with the long thread of human endeavor…

To live…Steve lived each day to its fullest. Many strive for this, and many a book is written about it, but Steve, with Wynne by his side, did it. He embraced life as it came, took it in stride, relished its give and take, accepted both its ups and downs. Whether enjoying a bottle of good wine, being with Wynne and the children on yet another adventure, gathering with friends, watching the sunrise at sea from a warship's bridge, talking to World War II veterans about a battle most of our people know nothing of, or standing on Little Round Top at Gettysburg, Steve savored life. He lived fast and hard, but also happy. He got some of that from his parents, Steve & Jane; but he also learned of the frailty of life when his brother Neal passed away suddenly at only 26; and, seeing the world for what it was, for the glory of it, but also its hardness, he felt he needed to grab onto life and ride it. This, he taught all who knew him. 

To love...Yes, he loved life, and that kept within him a reserve of love for the best things it has to offer. His family, his children, and Wynne…he was so proud of Jonathan, Cara, and Ashley, and what a team he and Wynne made!  Rarely are two people more in love, more devoted, or more perfectly suited for each other. They had much planned in the years ahead together; but oh how much they had already done in the twelve years of their marriage. Many merely plan; they don't do. Steve and Wynne did, and those memories cannot be taken away. 

Steve also loved his Navy and the ships in which he sailed: KIRK, TAYLOR, ANZIO, THE SULLIVANS, JOHN C. STENNIS, KLAKRING, VELLA GULF. Seven ships in total; nearly every ocean and sea in the world; many of the crises and wars in the last 25 years; from 1200 pound steam boilers to the most advanced gas turbine powered AEGIS warships in the world. He did it all, and loved it. He loved his staff work as well, whether on Rolls and Missions, working for Ryan Henry in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or on the Navy staff as a strategist and analyst. He loved it all…took on all challenges. He epitomized Fleet Admiral King's words:

""'Difficulties' is the name given to things which it is our business to overcome.""

Steve taught us to love our lives and our chosen profession, in both achievement and disappointment, and to keep on charging.

To have perspective... Steve was a historian, or should I say, an applied historian. I know that term finds disfavor with professional historians, but it was a central part of who Steve was and of what he had to teach us. 

Steve looked at history as a tool to help shape our perspectives on today's events; to dampen the variations in our outlook as we are buffeted by the winds and seas of daily crises; to provide a guiding star to get us through the long nights when our sense of direction is assaulted by pressures seen and unseen. 

He taught us that history matters; that getting and staying connected with our past and with our heritage is important, even more so in times of great change and uncertainty like today. He used history to educate, inspire, and hone the judgment of his Sailors. He made it come to life. 

I remember one of the early crew meetings we had on THE SULLIVANS. Steve and I had determined that, given such a magnificent name and legacy, we would rely heavily on history to shape the crew…its culture and perspective. So, I asked the question of the young Sailors, ""…who knows about Leyte Gulf?"" Hands shot into the air…I was impressed. However, it gradually became clear that what they knew was not the battle, but USS LEYTE GULF. They didn't know of the titanic clash between American and Japanese fleets in 1944…and hence they didn't really know of the tradition of victory and selfless sacrifice of their forbearers…a tradition it was their duty to uphold. 

Steve resolved to fix that problem. So, when our CIC team went to Moorestown, New Jersey for a two week stint in the tactical trainers, we decided to spend the Saturday in the middle at Gettysburg. Amidst much grumbling, we all boarded buses at 0700. By the end of that amazing day, with Steve and I covering the battle and what it meant to 21^st century destroyer Sailors, the crew's perspective and mindset had changed (as well as that of some of the park rangers and tourists who tagged along…). Walking Pickets Charge at the end of the day, Steve asked one Sailor from South Bronx what he thought about Gettysburg. The young man said he at first thought it was a big waste of time (or words to that effect), but in the end he thought it one of the most important things he had done to get ready. 

That's how Steve drove history into the present. He did it even more so in VELLA GULF. There has never been a book written on the battle, despite the fact that it signaled the coming of age of US destroyer tactics in W.W. II. In fact, no one in the ship's history had really reached out to the veterans of Vella Gulf, the best known of whom is Russ Crenshaw of Crenshaw's Naval Shiphandling. Steve set about to address that, and was in the process of writing the overdue book. In doing so, he brought countless lessons, from both sides, to his crew, helping them understand their place in history and why they were doing what they were doing.

But, Steve's hero was Horatio Nelson, one of the greatest Sailors of all time. Only one of our Sailors on THE SULLIVANS…a third class petty officer with a Spanish Lit degree from Hood college…knew who Nelson was. Yet, he typified everything that Steve believed in… Honor and courage, certainly, but also aggressiveness, tactical brilliance, an acceptance of war as the realm of uncertainty and chance, a willingness to delegate, to trust subordinates, and to build within them trust of each other, of their bosses, and, most importantly, trust of themselves. With a crew thus welded together, victory and success are assured. 

Nelson lived almost exactly 200 years ago, and died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. And Steve would have appreciated this…like Steve, Nelson was 47. 

Nelson echoed Shakespeare when he said ""…my brave Sailors…Such a gallant set of fellows! Such a band of brothers! My heart swells at the thought of them!"" As the Sailors of VELLA GULF that are here today, and those from Steve's many other ships can attest, he deeply held to that view of Sailors. He loved them, he believed in them…he led them, inspired them, and built them into that band of brothers we hear so much about.

So, now we bid farewell to Steve the teacher. What a great man; what a tragedy that he has been taken from us so early, but God has a plan we cannot discern, and we must accept what He has laid out for us. There will always be a gaping hole in our lives, yet as teachers do, Steve gave to us in teaching us how to live, love, and gain perspective. So, yes, he's gone, but he leaves behind a solid legacy…one we can hold onto and gain inspiration from. 

Wynne, Jonathan, Cara, and Ashley; Jane, Dow, and Todd, we share your sorrow, though we realize that ours pales in comparison. Steve was a real man, someone to stand with the greats of history; and as with those greats, he loved life and lived that love every day. We count ourselves blessed to have known him and to have worked and played with him. 

We say goodbye today, and we must continue on. But, he taught us how to take life as it comes, and in the end, he taught us that life is about people, about trust, reliability, friendship, and honor. That's a real gift; one worth celebrating.