What started as just another workday for then-41-year-old Verizon operations director and father of four Rick Davin turned to tragedy when terrorists flew passenger planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the bright morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
No one understood the nature of the attack when the first plane, carrying 92 passengers and crew, hit 1 World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. But Davin, who worked on the 12th floor of 2 World Trade Center, evacuated 30 to 40 people after smelling jet fuel. He and his team were on the street by the time the second plane, carrying 65 people, crashed into his building at 9:03 a.m.
In a story for North County News in the week after the attack, Davin—a John Jay High School grad who became a Marine Corps captain and infantry company commander before beginning a 33-year career with Verizon—recalled the chaos.
“The entire street shook,” Davin—who now lives in Somers—said at the time. “People were screaming.”
With communication disrupted, Davin’s wife, Rosemary, and four sons—then ranging in age from 6 to 14—didn’t know he was okay until hours later. Fortunately, their dad, a longtime volunteer first responder who later served with the Yorktown Auxiliary Police and Ambulance Corps, made it home. Others weren’t as fortunate.
The events of that day would, to varying degrees, shape each of their futures.
All four of Davin's sons would go on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and become Marine Corps pilots, following a family tradition of service that goes back generations.
Eldest brother, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joseph Davin, was a 14-year-old freshman at Kennedy Catholic High School when the towers were attacked and was very aware of what was going on.
“I vividly remember how scared I felt sitting in the cafeteria that day,” said Joseph Davin, who graduated from Kennedy in 2005 and the Naval Academy in 2009. “I couldn’t understand why something like this would happen, and I was afraid of what might come next. We were sent home early and my family anxiously waited for a phone call from my dad to know he was safe. With the cell phone towers overwhelmed, it took a long time before we finally heard from him.”
He also witnessed the grief of neighbors who lost loved ones in the attack.
“At the time, I was an altar server at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Yorktown, and I helped at many funerals in the weeks that followed,” Joseph said. “I felt incredibly fortunate that I had not lost my father, but I was deeply saddened by the impact on my community and on our country.”
His younger brother, Maj. James Davin, was in middle school at the time of the attack. The 36-year-old, who graduated from Kennedy in 2007 and the Naval Academy four years later, said the experience had a profound and immediate impact on him.
“Seeing our country attacked in such a cowardly way, with so many innocent lives lost, deeply affected me,” James said. “It wasn't just an attack on a building; it felt like an attack on our American way of life. That day lit a fire in me and instilled a sense of duty to serve and defend our country.”
Younger brothers Marine Corps Maj. Jason (32) and Capt. John (30) were less aware of the attacks at the time but no less inspired as they matured.
Jason, who graduated from Kennedy in 2011 and the Naval Academy in 2015, was in third grade in 2001 and remembers being pulled out of class at St. Patrick’s Catholic School early to get picked up by his brothers.
“I was too young to remember much else, but I know that memory and looking back at the experience as I grew up and learned and understood what happened that day were impactful on my development going forward,” he said, adding that his family influenced his decision to serve but never pressured him to do so.
“I have no way of knowing if I would have ended up there if my brothers didn’t attend,” he said of enrolling in the Naval Academy. “The fact that they went there just lent itself to my feeling that I wanted to go there as well and made the decision comfortable and made the college search less intimidating. I knew how good a school it was and I wanted to become a Marine and serve and give back, so that’s why I went.”
John, who graduated from Kennedy in 2013 and the Naval Academy in 2017, said he was too young to understand what was happening in 2001, but as he matured and learned more, he felt strongly about following in his family’s footsteps.
“I would not say I was too aware at the time, just that something serious was happening and that the school secretary told us the towers had been hit,” John said. “I do recall us putting up an American flag over our garage and a number of neighbors joining in the patriotism by flying the flag of our country. I also distinctly recall learning of family friends and neighbors that had lost friends and family to the attack—New York firefighters and civilians alike.”
John called his desire to serve “a slow build” as he grew up and came to understand “the depth and severity of the actions taken on that day by al-Qaida.”
All four Davin brothers continue to serve while raising families of their own. Three remain on active duty: Joseph in Maryland with his wife and three children, Jason in Virginia with his wife and three children, and John in South Carolina with his wife as they await their first child. James, now in the reserves, lives in California with his wife and four daughters and serves in the Reserves.
Aviation has been the common theme among all four.
Lt. Col Joseph Davin now leads mission systems for the Presidential Helicopters Program at NAS Patuxent River. Major James Davin spent years flying Hueys and deploying to the Middle East before transitioning to the Reserves while pursuing an MBA and a civilian career in tech. Major Jason Davin has spent nearly a decade as a Marine helicopter pilot, while youngest brother, Captain John Davin, is an F-35 instructor pilot recently returned from deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
All four describe the rewards of military life in strikingly similar terms: the bonds forged, the sense of purpose, and the chance to lead.
“Building lifelong relationships with fellow service members and giving back to my country have been incredibly meaningful,” said Joseph, whose leadership skills are employed in "improving both the training and the systems I once used in the fleet.
“Today, I even support the very program that my younger brother, Jason, operates within the fleet—a unique and meaningful connection to my work," he said.
John Davin said the ability to mentor younger servicemembers is especially rewarding.
"Witnessing and helping to guide motivated young Marines has truly been the opportunity of a lifetime," he said. "I am also privileged to fly one of the most advanced and modern fighter jets ever built, something I try never to take for granted each time I step into the cockpit."
The combination of family and American histories makes serving especially rewarding.
“You get to carry on the legacy and traditions of the countless men and women who served before you," James said. "It’s a privilege, and it makes the sacrifices worthwhile.”
The greatest challenge is being away from family. Jason admitted the hardest moment of his career was leaving for a seven-month deployment less than a month after his second son was born.
“I will never get that time back,” he said.
John, too, pointed to long months at sea away from loved ones, calling deployments both defining and draining.
When it comes to advice, the brothers stress that service has to come from within. Joseph calls it “a deeply personal decision,” while John said only “personal resolve and strong internal drive” can carry someone through. Their guidance to young people is to seek mentors, understand the sacrifices, and weigh long-term goals carefully.
“Service will shape you in ways you can’t fully anticipate," Joseph said. "It’s demanding, but the opportunities to grow, to lead, and to build lasting relationships make it one of the most rewarding choices you can make.”
For their father, Rick—who has also given decades to his community in Yorktown and Somers, serving with the Auxiliary Police and Ambulance Corps, at Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School, and in the Justice Court—seeing his sons wear the uniform brings immense gratitude.
“They have all had great success in their assignments,” Rick said. “My wife and I are extremely proud of their accomplishments.”
However, John Davin says that the military isn't the only way to serve the community—a lesson he learned at home.
"People often say 'thank you for your service' to members of the military, but the military is only one avenue of service," John said. "There are countless opportunities to contribute meaningfully to our nation, state, and local communities outside of the armed forces. Some of my earliest mentors were my Boy Scout leaders, who selflessly gave their time to develop young boys and teach important life skills. Becoming an Eagle Scout was a milestone that I believe played a significant role in my later success.
"First responders in every community serve daily, many of them as volunteers," he added. "My father, for example, served our nation as a Marine for five years, then as a volunteer Yorktown Auxiliary Police officer for more than 30 years, and for the past decade, he has continued to serve with the Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. My mother dedicated over 20 years as a Boy Scout leader and still gives her time at our parish, Saint Patrick’s.
"So when people ask why my three older brothers and I chose a path that many view as service to the nation, the best answer is to simply point to our first mentors and role models: our parents."
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