Memorial Day: Remembering Cpt. Donald C. Woodruff

Today is Memorial Day, and as we reflect upon the lives of American military personnel who, as President Abraham Lincoln once said, "gave the last full measure of devotion" in service to their country, I pay homage to Captain Donald C. Woodruff, United States Army.

Cpt. Woodruff was a star football player at Florida A&M University (pictured with legendary Coach Jake Gaither below) who was commissioned into the United States Army upon graduation in 1960.

A helicopter pilot, Cpt. Woodruff's aircraft was downed in Vietnam in 1966, thus making him the first member of the "Rattler Battalion" to be killed in action during the Vietnam War.

A dear friend and former football teammate of my father, Charles, Dad told me years later that Cpt. Woodruff's death weighed very heavily on his mind when he was deployed to Vietnam two years later in 1968.

In the 1959 National Championship game, one that FAMU won 28-7 over Prairie View in the Orange Blossom Classic, linebackers Donald Woodruff and Charles Hobbs combined for a crucial first quarter tackle and fumble recovery against the Panthers…

As we reflect upon Cpt. Woodruff and millions of Americans who made similar sacrifices, may we also reflect upon the 15th Chapter of the Gospel of John: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Lest we forget...