By Lt. Comdr. Derrick Ingle For StyleMagazine.com • Photo By Brandon Parker

Yeoman 2nd Class Kevin Davis is awarded Junior Sailor of the Year for calendar year 2021 by Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/ Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/ CTF 73). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications 2nd Class Brandon Parker)

Throughout the NBA, the initials KD are tied to University of Texas alum and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant. However, another unknown Texas all-star carries the same namesake initials in the military, namely in the U.S. Navy, specifically in the Lion City of Singapore.

Houston’s very own Kevin Davis or KD, was recognized as the U.S. Navy’s Junior Sailor of the Year (JSOY) for calendar year 2021 by his unit, Commander Logistics Group, Western Pacific/ Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/ CTF 73), in Singapore, during the first half of 2022. The Navy’s own KD is 2-0 in the first two quarters of 2022, receiving JSOY honors and subsequent promotion to petty officer first class or E-6.

“This is my first time winning an award in the Navy in 12 years of service”, said Yeoman First Class Kevin Davis. “My father gave some good advice [years ago] to join the Navy, and it was the best advice I ever received. I needed to stand on my own two feet,” Davis said.

The H-Town (Houston) native stems from a legacy US military family with a proud father who served in the Navy as an electrician’s mate. His uncle also previously served in the US Army, and his cousin served honorably in the Navy as a yeoman.

Davis’s latest promotion in spring 2022 catapulted his rank to now, yeoman first class. As a yeoman, his role is comparable to human resources (HR) management where he handles administrative requirements for commissioned naval officers stationed at COMLOG WESTPAC. Davis said his administrative credentials afforded him access to live and work in places on the East and West Coast of the United States, like Virginia and Washington State. However, he credits his time working in Hawaii with preparing him for his new promotion.

“Hawaii was a great duty station for me. It helped me become a better petty officer and a better leader”, said Davis

When he’s not busy with Navy HR, he says he enjoys the local Southeast Asian spicy cuisine and the Texas-like, warm weather that comes with living in a city-state, just above the equator.

“I love Singapore for the food,” said Davis. "The best thing I have tried is the butter chicken with some cheese naan; it’s the best dish, I think. Then you have your Sunday brunches with great views. I like the beach vibes; I have always been attracted to the summer because of all the outdoor activities,” Davis continued. “The culture here [in Singapore] is very cool and inclusive. I admire how Singaporeans observe and recognize every religious and cultural holiday, and not just major ones [Christmas or Easter]”.

Davis said he also enjoys working and living in Singapore because he likes “living in a melting pot of different languages and cultures [primarily Chinese, Indian and Malaysian]”.

“I’ve made friends and learned many things about their cultures that you won’t find in a textbook,” he said.

When Davis isn’t filling the scoreboard with awards, promotions or enjoying Singapore, he still enjoys favorite American pastimes like playing basketball or catching a movie. However, it’s not all sunshine and sports for KD in Asia. Davis keeps his head in the game with eyes on his next potential promotion to chief petty officer, and a long-range plan for his final eight years of naval service.

“The Navy is a team sport in many ways that helped me get focused. It steered me in the right direction for long-term success,” he said. “I plan to utilize everything I’m learning [from the Navy] and retire once I reach 20 years of service. My next venture after the military will be real estate”.

Davis claims the Missouri City sector of Houston as his true home, where he played sports for the local Dulles High School. He opted for orders to Singapore because it was the only port call he enjoyed while on previous deployments at sea in the Western Pacific.

Located in Singapore, Commander Logistics Group, Western Pacific, is the US Navy’s premier mobile logistics organization, charged with refueling and rearming US war ships in the Navy’s Seventh Fleet Area of Operations. For more news and photos on sailors serving in Singapore like Davis, visit: https://www.facebook.com/usnavysoutheastasia