[jcmanson]

http://libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID= ... 63&TeamID=

Flames Feature: A Man Fighting For Liberty

October 20, 2006
Lynchburg, Va.



A few hours northeast of Lynchburg in Philadelphia sits Independence Hall, a building that played witness to the greatest event in our country’s history. That hallowed edifice was where the foundation was laid for our great nation.

“The City of Brotherly Love” is also the home of the Liberty Bell, which now resides for public viewing a stone’s throw from its old home in the tower of Independence Hall.

The inscription in the historic bell reads “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants there of”, which comes from Leviticus 25:10.

As the Liberty Flames take to the field Saturday afternoon against Gardner-Webb, that inscription means more to senior defensive lineman Don Carlos McWhorter than to most people in the stadium.

That is because McWhorter is a member of the Air Force National Guard and, because of a mistake made by the National Guard with regard to his security clearance, he won’t be boarding a plane this weekend to Iraq with the rest of his unit.

McWhorter joined the guard more than four years ago and is in a civil engineering unit based in Virginia Beach where he works as a carpenter and a welder. McWhorter, who travels to Virginia Beach one weekend a month for additional training, had his security clearance information lost a couple of times when a new employee came into the position that handled clearance for his unit.

Due to the oversight, McWhorter now has the ability to complete his final year with the Flames’ football program as well as finish all his classes in time for his December graduation.

His diligence to the National Guard has affected his football career. In September 2004, McWhorter missed over two weeks of school and football when his unit was called to Florida for hurricane relief after Hurricane Frances hit the coast. Before leaving, McWhorter was excited about getting a chance to play special teams. When called for duty, though, it put him behind on the field and when he returned he only saw action in one game.

This situation may seem unfortunate to some, but not to McWhorter who is just happy to be here. “I wasn’t recruited out of high school and I walked on here at Liberty and it has been a dream come true,” said McWhorter. “I almost didn’t have a chance to play college football at all, so whether I am playing a lot or not at all, it has been great to be a part of this team for the past four years.”

McWhorter has appeared in all six of the Flames’ games this season and has recorded three solo tackles. “Don Carlos is a very hard-working kid and is willing do anything we ask him to do,” stated head football coach Danny Rocco. “He is very committed to the program and is a very strong individual on and off the football field.”

Liberty was an unlikely destination out of high school for McWhorter. “I didn’t know much about Liberty, but was intrigued by the school,” explained McWhorter. “My high school coach tried to discourage me about attending Liberty because he wasn’t a fan of what Liberty stood for.”

Not recruited out of high school, McWhorter attended Thomas Nelson Community College for a year, an institution that lacked a football program.

During that spring semester, McWhorter decided to join the National Guard to help generate money for school. He attended basic training before enrolling at Liberty in the fall of 2003 and later walked on to the Flames’ football team. Despite being advised to the contrary a few years earlier, McWhorter saw Liberty as a place to grow spiritually while playing football.

“The first year I really didn’t grow spiritually like I thought I would,” commented McWhorter. “However, after that year, I really grew thanks to former teammate Rayshawd Barkley and Coach [Ed] Gomes. The Bible studies and discipleship meetings really helped me grow my identity in Christ.”

Another major influence in McWhorter’s life is his father, Don Carlos McWhorter, Sr. The elder McWhorter served in the Air Force as a civil engineer and the younger McWhorter was born in Japan when the family was stationed overseas. McWhorter, Sr. is retired and lives in Newport News, but still serves as a contractor for the government, working in intelligence with a satellite company.

“My father is a man of integrity who takes care of responsibility,” said McWhorter. “Growing up in the church and seeing him serve in the military has been a great influence on me.”

The positive influence of his father has led McWhorter to consider joining the Air Force as an officer upon graduation in December. “I might go into the Air Force or I might take my finance degree, enter the corporate world and eventually attend graduate school,” said McWhorter.

As his time at Liberty begins to wind down there are a few things McWhorter holds close to his heart. On the field, he will never forget his first career start against Concord last season when he recorded four tackles. Off the field, he sums up everything with Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

“No matter what, God has a plan. I am playing football, going to school and am a part of the National Guard and He allows me to balance it all for His purpose,” said McWhorter.

On a day when McWhorter could be boarding a plan to Iraq to help “proclaim liberty through the land,” he instead will be on Liberty Mountain helping the Flames seek a victory in their Big South Conference opener, all the while fulfilling the purpose that God has laid out for him.

By Vincent Briedis
Liberty University Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director

[PAmedic]

wow- great article- great guy

[Sly Fox]

Here is Chris' version of the story:

McWhorter awaits active duty with LU, Army

By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 25, 2006

Don Carlos McWhorter didn't make a tackle last Saturday when Liberty played Gardner-Webb. He suited up, but he never made it off the sideline.

The senior defensive tackle has had minimal impact this season, recording three tackles in six games. He hasn't seen the field a whole lot, but he's not too disappointed. It could be worse, he says.

"I could be out in 130-degree heat dodging mortar fire," McWhorter said. "I definitely don't take it for granted."

Had his security clearance not been mishandled, McWhorter would have been in Wisconsin on Saturday with the rest of his U.S. Air Force National Guard unit, attending combat preparation before traveling to Iraq for active duty.

However, there was a paperwork mixup when he initially applied for an overseas security clearance.

"I turned it in the first time, and then we got a new information coordinator in the unit," McWhorter said. "I had to do it again. When I put it in the computer, there were issues with my birth certificate because I was born overseas. I brought in my birth certificate and they had to run fingerprints and all that stuff. By that time, they had moved the computers around in the office, and they (accidentally) erased the information. So I had to do it over again."

McWhorter, who turned 23 in May, would have gladly traveled with his unit to Wisconsin. War happens, and part of joining the national guard is knowing that a turn in active duty is possible. His father, Don Carlos McWhorter Sr., spent 21 years on active Air Force duty. Don Carlos Jr. was born in Japan while his father was on duty, and like many military kids, spent much of his youth moving around.

Between the time Don Carlos Jr. was born and when he entered eighth grade, the McWhorters moved from Japan to Arkansas to South Carolina and back to Japan before finally settling in the Tidewater area. Don Carlos Sr. served in the civil engineering unit and also worked in intelligence.

McWhorter said his father is the predominant influence in his life, a strong parental figure who taught him disclipline and "how to be a man." That didn't mean he was trying to rush his son into service.

"Growing up, my dad didn't really want me to join the military," McWhorter said.

But McWhorter was looking for money to assist in paying for college, and the Air National Guard could help. McWhorter professes no love for flying, but instead joined because of an interest in civil engineering.

McWhorter, who attended Denbigh High School in Newport News, was the Patriots' offensive MVP his senior year, but that didn't translate into college scholarship offers. He wanted to play Division III ball, and looked at schools like Christopher Newport and Ferrum College. But those were expensive options.

Instead, joining the national guard provided enough sustenance to attend classes at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton. He attended basic training at Lackland Air Force base near San Antonio, Texas, an experience that fostered some of the leadership and discipline that his Liberty teammates see today.

"It was rough the first few weeks, and I didn't think I was going to make it out," McWhorter said. "But as it went on, it got easier. I was an element leader, so pretty much if anybody screwed up, I got yelled at for it. So I learned a lot about responsibility."

After a year and a half at TNCC, McWhorter still had an itch to play football and get a four-year degree, so he looked at Liberty.

He walked on in 2004 but only played once (against Gardner-Webb). Later in the fall, his unit was called to active duty to help with the relief effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Frances in Florida, causing him to miss time.

In 2005, he played in five games, recording 12 tackles and a quarterback hurry.

This season, his time has been more limited. McWhorter was a better fit as a defensive tackle in the 4-3 defense run by former coach Ken Karcher than as an end in the 3-4 scheme current coach Danny Rocco runs, leading to a decrease in playing time.

If McWhorter is complaining, though, he's not telling anyone. Teammates view him as one of the Flames' hardest workers in practice, a sign of leadership some younger players are picking up on.

"That's just the kind of guy he is," Liberty defensive end Steve Ackley said.

Active duty may still be a reality for McWhorter, though if he is sent overseas, it will be more in a construction capacity than in a front-line combat one. That doesn't make it less dangerous. Countless Iraqis and American soldiers have been killed far away from the "traditional" military battlefield.

Thoughts of overseas deployment made last Saturday sweeter for McWhorter. He may not have played against Gardner-Webb.

But it sure beat the alternative.

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[bigsmooth]

sounds like a solid guy. i wish him the best