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thedrifter
05-24-07, 06:32 AM
Fayetteville native to play football for the Marines

Heather Baggett
05-24-2007
FAYETTEVILLE – Brett Kelley is living his dream.

Just 19-years-old, the Fayetteville native now has the opportunity to do two things he loves: play football and serve his country.

Kelley, a U.S. Marine, plans to play football for his unit while he is stationed in Okinawa, Japan for two years. A Fayetteville High alum, he will go to Japan on June 1.

Kelley was a standout football player at Fayetteville High for years. He even helped lead the Wolves to a little school history.

“My time here, it was real good,” he said Wednesday. “It was kind of a small school, knew everybody. Playing under coach (Byron) Brasher, he was a real good coach. He was a good leader and everything. He taught me a lot about leadership and fundamentals.

“I grew up with all the boys I played football with. We’d been playing together since seventh grade. I was the only seventh-grader on varsity here. My senior year (2004) was the first year Fayetteville’s ever been to the playoffs. We made it 6-5 that year.”

Kelley then spent a year at the University of West Alabama in Livingston on a football scholarship. Had it not been for the chance to play football in college, Kelley would have joined the Marines sooner.

“It was something I always wanted to do,” he said. “Just having a football scholarship just stopped me from going right after high school.”

After his year in college Kelley worked for a while before attending boot camp at the end of October. He graduated from camp on Jan. 26.

He returned to Fayetteville a week ago for a short visit with his family before he leaves to begin his two-year stint in Okinawa, Japan. Kelley said going to Japan was his first choice.

“That’s where I wanted to go and I got it,” he said. “I requested to go to Okinawa and I got it.”

Once he’s in Japan, Kelley said he would try out for his unit’s football team within the first four months. The squad will face off against other Marine units as well as Navy and Air Force teams.

“If I’m good enough I can try out for the actual Marine Corp team,” Kelley said.

While he’s only been in the Marines for less than a year, Kelley said he already likes it.

“I love it so far,” he said. “I love it. I went through combat training and my MOS school.”

Kelley said he hasn’t yet decided if he will make a career of the military.

“I can’t judge it yet,” he said. “That’ll be in the next year or so that I’ll make that decision.”

With the fighting in Iraq still going strong, Kelley’s mother, Robbin Davison, said she’s glad he will be in Japan for a couple of years.

“I was glad he chose overseas because right now that will keep him hopefully in Japan for a while,” she said. “Yeah, Japan’s a long way away. We’re planning a trip. I hope to go see him and we can get him back home some, too.”

Davison said she was proud of her son, something that can be seen from the scrapbooks she has made recording his achievements as a football player and as a marine.

“I’m gonna miss him, but it’s such a great opportunity,” she said while thumbing through the scrapbooks. “I’ve supported him ever since he called me and told me he was headed to Montgomery with the recruiter to sign the papers. As you can see I supported him through everything, all his football.”

The opportunity to play football while in Japan is a great one, but Kelley said he is ready to head to the Middle East if asked to.

“I’m ready to go to the dessert and fight,” he said. “I’m ready to go to Iraq.”

About Heather Baggett Heather Baggett is a staff writer for The Daily Home.

Contact Heather Baggett voice:
fax: 256 299-2112
256 299-2192

Ellie