DVIDS – News – Veteran uses experience to make difference in community

The military can prepare you to both serve your country and for a future career. Joining a branch of military service means being part of a team that is dedicated to making a difference in the world.

Sometimes the difference made is in a small town. David Knight has made a difference in his hometown Decatur through his insurance business, his service at his church and in the community.

Knight, who served in the Air Force from 1984-90, was in administration, or an Air Force specialty code 702.

He is the oldest of three brothers, all who chose military service for part of their careers. One brother became a Marine, and the other served in the Army. All three brothers have gone onto successful careers; however, Knight used his military skills to run a small business.

Knight has been running the family’s insurance agency for the past 35 years. Decatur did not have many insurance agencies in the early 1970s when his parents started the operation. His parents had always been hard workers, both coming from farming families in rural Alabama, which helped them get the agency off the ground.

“Dad had been handling accounting for a local business for several years,” Knight said. “Some of his friends suggested he would do well as an insurance agent. So, he and my mother made the decision for him to quit his job, and they started the agency together.”

In those early years things were tough for the Knight family of five. “What they sold is what we ate,” Knight said. “In time and with a little grit the business grew until it would support us well. My parents have always maintained a good name in our town. I know there were many life experiences that shaped my dad and mom to become the businesspeople they’ve been in our town.”

When Knight joined the Air Force, he was intrigued by the good benefits for those seeking degrees. He took advantage and completed his bachelor’s in business administration from the coed Mississippi University for Women, with the military paying 75% of his tuition. Many of his classes were held on the base and fit around his work and family schedule.

“The Air Force has always been huge in education,” he said. “There were always instructional classes that we had to attend, many for college credit. During my enlistment I also attended the NCO Preparatory School as well as NCO Leadership School. They really pushed their people to further their education.”

After his basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and a technical school in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was stationed at Columbus, Mississippi Air Force Base. Knight spent the remainder of his career in Columbus, which is three hours from Decatur, allowing him to get home often. “I really enjoyed Columbus,” he said. “I was married with children and Columbus was a wonderful place to raise a family.”

However, the military was the greatest teacher for his future career.

“In general, the military provides a place for a young person who may be needing direction in life,” Knight said. The military is a way “to discover he or she can accomplish something.”

“I was 20 when I entered … and I was still struggling to figure out what I wanted to do. The Air Force benefited me as a young person in so many ways.”

From the moment Knight stepped off the bus at Lackland AFB for basic training he knew life was about to be different. “Most everyone has the ‘what have I done?’ moment those first few days,” he said. “I didn’t understand all that was happening during basic, but I do remember graduating from there, and then tech school, feeling very different about myself.

“The military in all branches puts so much dependence on members being able to handle certain tasks that enable the United States to have the greatest fighting force on the earth. You can’t hand a weapon or multimillion dollar piece of equipment to someone who has not proven they can handle it.”

Because of Knight’s training and experience as he entered his normal duties at Columbus AFB, he felt much more mature and able to handle what his commanders requested. “I learned to enjoy the challenges that came, and I discovered that even the failures were teachable moments,” he said.

At the time, he did not know that his service would give him exactly the skills needed in the insurance industry and working with customers.

This once shy man said he learned how to talk to people. “Officers and senior enlisted tend to be very professional in how they carry themselves,” he said. “If you’re going to interact with them, you must also learn to walk tall, be able to carry on a good conversation and be competent to accomplish the tasks they order.”

Knight shared that sometimes the task required him to research regulations and manuals to see how a job was done. “Whatever it takes, results are expected. You tend to show your ability to be able accomplish a task or you prove you may not have things all together.”

He knows that running a business uses all these skills. “The public expects you to be competent in how you handle their accounts,” Knight said. “They want to see your confidence in yourself or you’re not going to keep them long as a customer.”

Knight feels not only his own time in the Air Force, but also his father’s service, shaped them into the reliable business owners the city trusts. “I know his time in the Air Force … as an aircraft mechanic on an F-86 Sabre made him very capable. If he wasn’t competent planes didn’t fly.”

His father, James Knight, chose to serve in the Air Force. James joked that he joined the military to get out of a tiny town in rural Winston County. “I joined the Air Force to trade my tractor for a fighter jet,” James said. He served from 1955-59. He said he joined because he “wanted to see something new in the world.” Airplanes intrigued James and he knew they would allow him to experience something different.

“I grew up hearing the stories my dad and uncles told about their time in service,” Knight said. “I had always played sports and knew the benefit of being part of a team. The thought of wearing a uniform of any branch of service would be good, but since the Air Force was already in my family, I had to choose them.”

Knight feels there are few experiences you’ll take on in life as big as the military. “If you’re looking ahead at operating a business you must be able to adapt and adjust. You must be on the front edge of trends in your industry. You have to be able to lead people. Problem solving will be a daily task you must be proficient in. You will develop all these talents and many more as a part of your military career. If you stand out to your commanders more responsibilities will be given you to do. This equates to more opportunities to see what you can do; you’ll amaze yourself at the things you didn’t think you could do,” he said.

“An individual’s integrity will make your business known. Word of mouth testimonials about how you conduct business is huge. Likewise, a person who lacks integrity can make for a situation you might not soon undo. The military typically won’t put up with folks not demonstrating integrity, ability to get along with others, and a willingness to follow orders and support the mission. All of this plays into the kind of character you have.”