When it comes to duty, honor, discipline, sacrifice and working together for a common goal, nobody associated with the Indiana football program may understand what those words mean better than first-year defensive coordinator Charlton Warren.
Yes, he utilized all those traits as a football player and coach, but for Warren, they have a deeper meaning as he truly learned the meaning of those words while serving in the United States Air Force after his playing days at the Air Force Academy.
However, a military career and playing football at a service academy were not the first thoughts the Georgia native had when he was a high school football player being recruited.
In a recent one-on-one interview with TheHoosier.com, Warren said all that changed when he met former Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry.
"I was drawn to Coach DeBerry. When I came to visit the Academy, it was the first time I had ever seen mountains or flown. My pops preached hard work and discipline and the Air Force Academy spoke to me as a challenge," Warren said. "I wanted a good education and to play football and wanted something that would challenge me. I found all three at the Air Force Academy.
"I thank Coach DeBerry, who recruited me and saw something in a kid from Georgia that he didn't he in himself and it changed my life. Being a football player at the Air Force Academy was the best thing that ever happened to me. I would let my kids go to the Academy if it was for them."
Despite being far from home, Warren immediately found his niche in Colorado Springs, playing defensive back for three seasons and helping the Falcons have success on the field.
However, the success did come with some eye-opening experiences.
"The first six weeks were basic training, and I wasn't prepared for the in your face approach of going to a service academy. I was in physical shape, but it was a mental game. There was no way I was quitting and I quickly learned to play the game. It was awesome thinking about it. I grew up a lot and learned to put the group first. For me, it gave me a better sense of the team and I learned to separate my wants and needs. It was my first time away, I am at the Air Force Academy playing football and I had to grow up a lot," Warren said.
He recalled that football was the "easiest part" of the day and provided a break for him and his teammates from the rigors that come with attending a service academy.
"We had great coaches, and I still talk to them to this day. I still get a text from Coach DeBerry before a big game," Warren said. "When I took the defensive coordinator job at Indiana, he immediately reached out. I never thought being at a service academy took away from my college experience."
During his time with the Falcons, Warren and Air Force knocked off Notre Dame in South Bend, and his senior season, Air Force defeated Army and Navy, won the WAC championship and knocked off Washington in the Oahu Bowl to cap a 12-1 season in 1998.
After graduating in 1999, Warren did his five year commitment and then another five, earning the rank of Major. He served at Warner Robins Air Force Base, where he was a C-130 avionics program manager.
In addition, Warren was stationed at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, where he was an air-to-ground weapons program manager for the Air Armament Center during the War on Terror. While an assistant at the University of Florida, Warren said during a press conference that he got to “do a lot of cool things with blowing things up and getting after bad guys.”
"My time in the Air Force was awesome. I got to travel, and then 9-11 happened and I got to test weapons live that were used over there in the War on Terror. I would have had a career in the Air Force but I got a phone call that changed my life," Warren said.
That call was from Coach DeBerry, who asked if Warren would be interested in returning to Colorado Springs as a graduate assistant.
"I hit my 10-year mark and it came time to PCS (permanent change of station), and I was offered another position job at Air Force. I was promoted to defensive backs coach and would then become defensive coordinator," Warren said.
For Warren, the opportunity to recruit football players to and then coach at a place that changed his life was more than he could ask for.
"I got to see the guys come in, go through what I went through, graduate and get their pilot wings. It truly was amazing. I remember our quarterback, Tim Jefferson. He didn't know anything about the academy and was our quarterback for four years and is still in the Air Force. To see that growth was unbelievable. All of these kids I keep in touch with and we have a special bond because I know what they went through," Warren said.
Warren said he encourages any football player looking at attending a service academy do it, but says there's only one that matters -- the Air Force Academy.
"If it is something you are passionate about, do it. It is not for everybody, but if you understand what is at stake and understand what you are getting yourself into by attending a service academy, then do it. I've had family members ask me and I give them the same advice. I still believe in it and all the lessons that come with attending one, however, the only one that matters is in Colorado Springs," Warren said laughing.
Warren's time in the military was something that caught the eye of Indiana head coach Tom Allen when he interviewed Warren as his defensive coordinator. Allen has publicly said he has tried to use military tactics as a coach.
""I always liked that and thought that was a great correlation to football," Allen said on Warren's military background. "To be able to develop mental and physical toughness in our guys. So, yeah, I think that's a very important thing that he brought that most guys don't have. He has went there as a cadet at Air Force, talk about the real life experiences he has, he has been overseas, been in battles, has lead. Commanding the room is a phrase I use and that is one of his strengths."
Warren said the correlation between the military and football go hand-in-hand.
"Everyday you get an understanding of what accountability and discipline mean," he noted. "You have ten other guys depending on you. At basic, I cared about not letting my guys down. For me, it all carries over. I am pushing them to be great, and it is instilled from the beginning.
"We focused on the basics during spring practice so that it becomes muscle memory. We have to have a capacity for boredom and when I say we are getting back to the basics, I don't mean reteaching football to our players. Instead, when times get tough in the military, we fall back to our training and our basics, and that is what we do here. We will fall back to our training to win our box."
With Memorial Day approaching, Warren says he will take some time to reflect on those he lost and his military service.
"The flag and uniform are symbolic of the love you have for those on your left and right who will give up their life for you. It is about giving yourself up for something bigger than self and it is about service and what pushed me to do great for people I didn't know. It is a calling. I had classmates who didn't make it. Once you've served, you can never forget. We have to make sure we never forget our vets and for those of us who served, it is a bond that will always be there, regardless of when you served."
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