Mariota leaves Fort Campbell with memory he’ll never forget
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – U.S. Army Maj. Daniel J. Hankes had the perfect gift for his son as he walked out of the Fort Cambell Exchange and headed toward the parking lot, an autographed football from Marcus Mariota in his grasp.
“Ethan – Happy 2nd Birthday!” the Titans’ quarterback had scrawled in black marker on the collectible, just one of hundreds of items tagged Monday afternoon. But Hankes didn’t get far before turning around and heading back into the store.
Hankes, the chief of soldier health services, had served overseas in Croatia, Iraq and Afghanistan, the last two as a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a group known as the “Night Stalkers” made famous by the movie “Black Hawk Down.”
He had waited in line for hours to meet the players signing autographs as part of the Titans Caravan promotional tour’s annual stop at the military base.
Hankes and the hundreds of soldiers and their family members had been told to expect just one autograph per person, and he felt somewhat rushed when he reached the front of the line, where Mariota signed his ball and posed for a selfie.
A University of Washington graduate, Hankes exchanged pleasantries with the quarterback who had won the Heisman Trophy while playing for PAC-12 conference rival Oregon.
“I’m a Husky,” Hankes said. “Don’t hold it against me.” Mariota laughed. He said it was cool. The quarterback enjoys interacting with fans. Every kid received a high five. Every soldier, eye contact, a firm handshake and genuine smile.
“I have family members that serve, as well,” Mariota said at the start of the event. “Military has been a part of my family for quite some time. It means a lot to us, and we understand the sacrifice and what they do for us as a country. Just the little that we can do to give back, just to say thank you, it’s an awesome opportunity, and I just really look forward to it.”
Now, after returning to the store, Hankes tries to get in line again. But a young lady stops him.
The caravan will soon depart for its next stop, and the line has been cut off.
“The heck with this,” he says under his breath, heading back to the front of the store.
The line is moving along, so he sticks around and chats up the team’s bus driver. When the last several fans are approaching the players, he makes his move.
Hankes peels off the combat patch Velcroed to the right shoulder of his camouflaged uniform – the one he earned by serving overseas with the Night Stalkers – and proudly hands it to Mariota as the quarterback rises from his chair.
“These guys come up here, they thank us for serving them and all that, and we appreciate that,” Hawkes said later. “But for guys like me, I love doing what I do. I don’t feel like I’m making any sacrifices. And they just provide us with so much joy and entertainment.
“It’s not much to give him a patch, you know what I mean? To say thanks.”
The shocked quarterback looked Hankes in the eye, accepted the gift and offered a firm handshake. He slipped the patch into his right pants pocket, before heading to the parking lot, onto the bus and the next stop of the tour.
Mariota had visited Fort Campbell to show his appreciation for the military, to give these brave men and women and their families an autograph, a photograph, a memory they’d never forget.
He ended up leaving with one, as well.