Inspiring Arkansans 8,000 Miles From Home
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas state flag billowing in the wind in front of the Razorback football team running through the “A” during pre-game festivities will take on added significance Saturday night thanks to a generous donation from a U.S. Air Force serviceman.
The flag, donated to Razorback Athletics by U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Channing Caudill, was flown on a 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-52H Stratofortress bomber on Aug. 22 in direct support of the U.S. military’s ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria.
Caudill said he was inspired to send the state flag after reading about Razorback senior wide receiver Drew Morgan yelling the phrase “Juiced!” before and during football games.
“During our deployment four or five months in at Qatar, we started getting tired. Working 12 hour shifts six-to-seven days a week in 130-degree heat takes a lot out of you, and when you’re with the same guys 24/7 the entire time, you need something extra to keep you going,” said Caudill. “That’s when I started saying, ‘You got to be juiced!’ while at work. It caught on here at my shop, too.”
He said the Razorback football team has been a continuing source of inspiration during the past two years and serves as a way for him to maintain ties back in Arkansas while on his current deployment.
“The team just inspires me and I look forward to Razorback football every year,” Caudill said. “After I heard about Drew Morgan’s ‘juiced’ story, that motivated me to send the flag. I know there’s a lot of other people that’s associated with the phrase, but to me, it means that no matter what, you have to keep a positive attitude.”
As an egress technician on his first deployment with the U.S. Air Force, Caudill works on ejection systems for fighter and bomber aircraft. He’s currently stationed in Al Udeid Air Base at Qatar with the 2nd Maintenance Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base.
“Every day I would download local Arkansas radio podcasts and watch SEC Network shows,” Caudill said. “I probably annoyed all of my peers listening to that at work every single day. The last few seasons, I’ve either been training or participating in missions and as a result, I’ve missed out on games. But this season I’ll have the chance to see the Razorbacks play.”
Caudill said he was able to watch the thrilling Arkansas-TCU game last Saturday on base along with a couple other Arkansas and SEC fans. With the game starting at 2 a.m. in Qatar, it stretched well into the early morning hours and didn’t end until around 6 a.m. when quarterback Austin Allen rushed into the end zone in double overtime.
“Everybody on base heard about the game and the fact I was a Razorback fan,” Caudill said, laughing.
Caudill won’t be present during Arkansas’ game against Texas State on Saturday, but he said his parents will be on-hand to capture the moment for him on video. But there’s no doubt that he’ll be following the game overseas.
“Every single day, listening about Razorback football on local Arkansas sports talk radio was my bread and butter,” he said. “If I could listen to that, it would help me get past that day a little bit easier. For me, it’s a big deal. To others, it might not seem as big a deal because they don’t understand how much it encouraged me during my first two years in the military. My motivation behind the state flag is a lot deeper than obviously just the football team. It’s the state in general, so it’s home. I don’t think the football team understands how much they actually encourage other people … even those 8,000 miles away in the middle of the desert.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you know about a U.S. serviceman or woman who is willing to donate to Razorback Athletics a U.S. or Arkansas flag that has been used on a military mission, please contact Associate Athletics Director of Marketing Elvis Moya at ejmoya@uark.edu.
