A Chronicles of a Hero that was a Friend: One of the most Precious Commodities we have in this life is Friendships that we forge along the road of life.
One of the most powerful steps a person can take for their health and well-being is to be grateful, having the strength of perseverance, and maintaining a positive outlook on our life even in the face of challenges. Memorial Day gives us that opportunity to show our gratitude to those that paid the ultimate price for our blessings. Being grateful allows us to look for opportunities to persevere along the road of life.
The reason that I wrote this article for Memorial Day is to honor those that served our nation that have passed. Memorial Day provides us the opportunity to honor the importance of relationships that are essential to our lives and social well-being. Even the memories formed from prior relationships are just as important to our mental well-being and sorting out our emotions.
A major part of our health, fitness, and well-being is relationships that we have the pleasure of forming with family members, co-workers, and dear friends. A main purpose that we were created for is to develop relationships. Relationships that we develop in this life should be cherished that most that are forged along the road of life that adds to proves significance, quality, and value to our lives.
There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of a dear friend that was a classmate, great athlete, high school buddy, and a brother in Arms. CWO Donovan L. Briley that was KIA in Mogadishu, Somalia on 03Oct1993 during Operation Gothic Serpent. Some will remember Operation Gothic Serpent more as a book and/or movie that was entitled Black Hawk Down. A movie I could only bring myself to watch once due to the emotions that it caused.
On Memorial Day
On Memorial Day as usual, at sunrise my dog, Sebastian, and I make our way out to the flag pole next to the house to lower my American Flag to half mast in honor of those that gave their last full measure. I lower the American Flag to half mask until noon, before I raise it again.
Their names of our military personnel that we honor particularly on Memorial Day are set in marble and stone markers across our country and on foreign soil. I have several heroes that I often think about personally on Memorial Day, two of which are dear to my heart. One was my uncle, Colonel Robert C. Boatright, who served in three (3) wars. The other is a high school buddy, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) 3 Donovan Lee ‘Bull’ Briley. Most often than not, our nicknames tell more about us than our actual names do.
Donovan was a friend that I knew since 7th grade at Central Junior High School in North Little Rock, Arkansas. We met for the first time in a locker room and later on the football field in the early days of September in 1973. He was the quarterback and I was one of the running backs, called ‘Sparky’. I will get to the reason that I was called Sparky later in this article.
Those friendships that are forged through challenges of sports seemed like they just occurred just yesterday, up until his death, now some 52 years after we first met for the first time. We became good friends over all those years going through high school and later both of us enlisting in the U.S. ARMY at the Little Rock Recruiting Station on Center Street.
One thing about Memorial Day is the vivid memories of people and events that we can carry with that last for a lifetime that are just as fresh and emotional as they were decades ago. Like any memory there are great ones, but there are also tragedies that we bear during our life that we all have to face in this life. These tragedies consist of a loss of a family member and close friends that we lose along life’s journey into the sun. I call it the road westward into the setting sun of our life.
Chief Warrant Officer Donovan Briley last Mission
On Sunday, October 03rd, 1993, CWO-3 Donovan ‘Bull’ Briley was piloting on the first of the two (2) HU-60 Black Hawk helicopters on a special mission in Somali. Both Black Hawks were hit by a RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) fired from the ground by the Somali Militia rebels during what was Operation Gothic Serpent. The original mission was called Operation Restore Hope.
CWO-3 Donovan L. Briley was killed soon after the Black Hawk was downed by the RPG. The accounts of this Special Operation where Rangers and Delta Forces joined to apprehend General Mohamed Farrah Aidid. This is very well documented in the movie Black Hawk Down based on the book by the same title written by Mark Bowden, a great field journalist. I could only watch it once at the theater, as I previously stated, but could never bring myself to watch the movie again since its release in December of 2001.
Donovan Briley was part of the 160th Night Stalkers that he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, two (2) Bronze Stars, two (2) Purple Hearts, two (2) Air Medals with “V” devices, two (2) Air Medals, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
The 160th Night Stalkers are a very elite force that operates with U.S. Navy SEALS, U.S. Army Rangers, DELTA Force, Green Berets, and other special forces.
My memories of CWO Donovan Briley
Our First Day of Football Practice in September of 1973
In a locker room, a bunch of young guys suited up for the first day of junior high school football practice at Central Junior High School, that was waiting for the coach to make his entrance into the locker room. Some of us had never played organized football before, and this was a entirely new experience for some of us.
Coach Tyler, an Army Veteran himself and Staff Sergeant, known for his hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to coaching, rolled out a fire hose on the floor of the locker room in front of us with line positions marked on it with position. Tight End, Tackle, Guard, Center and the same on the other end that were labeled on the fire hose. This is basic Football 101.
Coach Tyler carefully described each position to us and the responsibilities on each side of the ball had to a bunch of wide-eyed young guys trying to grasp what skills we had to have for each of those positions being described. After we went through calisthenics and sprints, then we broke out into offense and defense squads, based on our physical skills, strength, and ability assessed by the coaching staff during tryouts that summer.
We, on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, ran through various drills trying out for various perspective positions on the offensive squad. Since I was short, stocky, thus my nickname ‘Sparky’. I was singled as one of the five running backs because I could catch, and secure the ball, and the defense line couldn’t see me once the offensive line stood up after the snap.
This one tall kid was selected as Quarterback, Donovan L. Briley, for his skills of agility and speed. Briley ran like a deer and could throw accurate passes on the run, doing bootlegs left or right, and was tough as nails, thus his name ‘Bull’.
Coach Tyler huddled up with the offense squad calling the first scrimmage play “Draw fake 85 Hold.” This was a draw play where Briley, Bull, QB, would fake a hand-off to me (FB) and drop back for a slant pass to the Right Tackle, position No. 5, in a slant.
Coach Tyler looked squarely at me and asked me, “Boatright- Do you know your assignment”? I replied, “Yes Sir, fake a hand-off and run-off right guard position.” No! Coach Tyler replied, “You are to fake a hand-off, then hold your position to provide protection for Briley in the backfield by blocking for him; don’t let anyone touch him!” Coach continued by adding, “I was going to tell you to squat, but for you I don’t have to.”
Blocking isn’t the most glamorous or even flashy thing one could do, like a running off the Right Guard position where I would have an opportunity to get some payback on an unsuspecting linebacker. But it is essential to protect those behind you, especially the QB’s. And I certainly didn’t want to run bleachers after practice was over for not following instructions.
Our Senior Year in High School
During our senior year in high school, Donovan Briley and I had 4th period physics class together in the science building located at the far west end of campus. I would always park my CJ-7 Jeep on the side street, just yards from the rear entrance to the Science Building. There is a reason for my strategic parking position.
After 4th period Physics Class, we would sneak out for lunch and go to McDonald’s on JFK, in North Little Rock, Arkansas, for a Quarter Pounder and Fries with tea; unfortunately McDonald’s isn’t there any longer on JFK. There was a good reason for us going to McDonald’s, we were watching our weight. We wanted to have the calories that we were going to burn off during practice and during our strength and conditioning training.
Our U.S. Army Military Enlistment
During one of our lunch breaks in October of our senior year, we discussed our futures, where I was planning on joining the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer (MOS 12-Bravo) with the 326th Battalion after graduation. After a few weeks, Donovan decided to join me and enlist as well, but wanted to become a chopper pilot. We both joined during November of our senior year taking the oath of service like millions have done. I would like to commend those young men and women that are enlisting into the U.S. Military Service since the new year, 2025.
Few years after advanced training at Fort Belvoir, VA and taking my post at Fort Campbell, I injured both knees and right hip during a training jump where I received a medical discharge. Soon after my Medical Discharge, I attended college where I earned my Engineering Degree.
I then worked 2-years as a bridge engineer in Florida Keys and then worked 33- years for Entergy (formerly AP&L) as a Grid Engineer in three different states in Transmission Lines, where I’m now retired, but I still dabble in aviation, as I did working flying aerial patrol and started a fitness performance business.
Our Last Conversation I had with Briley
I talked to Donovan on a couple of occasions, while I was in Little Rock and while he was on leave from the Army. Last time I talked to him, he was stationed in South Korea with the Rangers as a Chief Warrant Officer flying Black Hawks. Rank of chopper pilots are usually Warrant Officers. He mentioned to me a humanitarian mission that was being discussed for Africa that was coming up in December of 1992, at the end of President Bush 41 Administration.
The Black Hawks Helicopter is a significant aircraft that has a significant amount of down wash off coming off their rotors. If you recall in the movie, there was a young boy serving as a forward observer for the Somalia Militia that held his cell phone out to capture the Black Hawks traversing up the coast line. The sound and wash are significant coming from Black Hawks rotors that you can feel it down wash. If you’re on the tarmac when a Black Hawk approaches for landing, you can feel the down wash, especially if you’re in a 206 Bell Jet Ranger.
Just to give you the sense of the down wash; one time we were in a 206 Bell Jet Ranger taking on fuel at Greenville, Mississippi, Airport when eight (8) Black Hawks approached for the Greenville Airport for refueling. You can hear them coming from three-quarters-of-a-mile off.
Our 206 Bell Jet Ranger was buffeted even parked a fifty yards down the flight line from where the eight Black Hawks were landing. The tower notified us of the approaching Black Hawks coming in on Runway 3-6 from the north and will be landing on the tarmac north of our position and informed us of possible turbulence. Black Hawks can create a significantly more down wash than a Huey can.
Operation Restore Hope & Operation Gothic Serpent
This Mission that Briley was involved in was Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia to provide critical aid and food to starving civilians, at first, but the mission changed later, in what we call Mission Creep. The movie Black Hawk Down was based on this mission creep, called Operation Gothic Serpent.
One thing about the U.S. Military service personnel, they don’t question orders, we just figure out how to accomplish the mission even with limited resources and political strings attached and restrictions, that we refer to as Rules of Engagement.
There is something that you will learn about our Veterans, when you sit down with them for a cup of coffee, and that is their-never quit attitude, despite the odds or obstacles that they will face. Basically, these Veterans are those common individuals that we pass in the street that endure the crucible of life that forms their enduring metal when they are called upon to become the tip of the sword, our Excaliburs. This is why they, Veterans, make great associates in a company. One thing about Vets, we will figure out a way to get ‘er done attitude.
I will always remember my friend and brother, CWO-3 Donovan Briley, and hope I can live up to just a part of his standards and courage of his metal that he exhibited. There are more untold stories by Veterans out there like my friend’s story, and we just need to take the time to listen to or read about them. That’s how we can honor their service personnel over a cup of coffee and just listen.
If you see a Purple Heart, Bronze or Silver Star
If you see a Purple Heart, Bronze or Silver Star on a license plate, either shake their hand or just throw them a salute if they are in a passing vehicle or parked at a traffic light. The Silver Start is one medal right below the Medal of Honor.
On Veterans Day– For those women and men that put it all on the line in our military, protecting us, we owe it to them the time to listen to them, even if it is over a cup of coffee, to their stories. The way we can honor those that served- is to Honor them by just knowing what they did? By listening to these Veterans, you can honor and appreciate their service at the same time. And in the case that they have passed, read about their lives and their service, another important part of our mental health, is READING. I write and cover sports because it is a way that I can deal with my subconscious mind.
I encourage everyone to read and write as a form of meditation that even if it isn’t meant to be published. Even if you never wrote one paragraph before, just start. You will see significant health benefits from both reading and writing.
This is on KINDLE
I wrote a book that was newly released last month entitled The Sayeret Warriors of Rephaim to provide some insight on what our military does for us to support our life, liberty, and pursuit of Happiness:
