Raiders players draw strength from parents' sacrifices, carrying military values into the NFL

Nov 13, 2025 at 10:02 AM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

A 13-year-old Adam Butler was sadly mistaken when he thought he was going to be able to quit football.

Looking back now, it's almost impossible to imagine, considering Butler is now an eight-year veteran in the NFL. Yet, it almost never came to be as the eighth-grader was exhausted by the grind of the game and convinced the sport wasn't for him.

He brought the decision to his father, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant who served more than 20 years and fought in Operation Desert Storm.

The elder Butler gave his son a hard no, hence Adam's inspiration for his Instagram handle @il\_never\_quit.

"We don't quit on anything," he said. "We don't quit on our family; we don't quit in life. We keep going and we see things through until the end. And that's paid off for me, but all of that stems back from him being in the military and having that mindset to put your life on the line.

"Football is such a violent sport, but when you think about people that really get into the field of battle, my dad a part of Desert Storm who was deployed for that, you think about the burn pits and all those things they had to go through. ... Hearing some of that stuff humbles me and highlights their character as people."

Thankful for our vets 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/bknwWWphaY
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 11, 2025

Butler shares similar experiences with several of his teammates, whose parents also served in the military.

As the NFL continues its Salute to Service initiative, with the purpose of honoring and connecting with U.S. service members, veterans, and their families, the locker room reflected on the sacrifices their parents made for their country and how military principles have steered them to the NFL.

Alex Bachman's father also served in the Air Force, where he flew the A-10 Warthog in Operation Desert Storm and retired as a lieutenant colonel. The wide receiver described his father as a strict and regimental parent, joking that "he wasn't the most likable father" in his youth. But like his teammate Adam Butler, the purpose behind Bachman's father's actions is now obvious.

"He taught me hard work and work ethic," Bachman said. "He was always on me because he know what my dream was. He'd ask me questions like, 'Did you run today? Did you stretch today?' And it wasn't because he wanted it for me, it was because I told him that's what I wanted and so he made the hard decision as a father.

"I had curfew and strict rules and looked around like, 'Why am I being treated different than my peers?' As soon as I got to college I looked back and realized he was doing everything possible for me to have an opportunity to live my dream. And I have the opportunity to do that now because of those habits that he instilled in me at a young age."

.@AshtonJeanty2's experience seeing his dad serve in the @USNavy for 20+ years shaped who he is and his appreciation for all those who serve our country. ❤️@Raiders | #SaluteToService pic.twitter.com/2A0uKojphi
— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2025

Ashton Jeanty's father Harry Jeanty served in the Navy for over 20 years and retired as a Chief Lieutenant. The rookie running back lived the life of a military brat as his family moving around from Jacksonville, Florida, to Chesapeake, Virginia, and even Naples, Italy, for his father's deployments.

In spite of all the constant change, his father made sure to keep him around the game of football no matter the place. Upon his father's retirement, the Jeantys choose Texas to be their permanent residence in hopes of giving Ashton a fair shot to be recruited.

"I watched my dad do a lot of hard, tough things in the military and he rose to each and every occasion," Ashton said. "He continued to work hard and level up, but no matter what we got going on in this football world, it's nothing like what we got going on."

"He got up every day early at the same time – like 4, 5 in the morning. And he didn't skip a beat ever," he added.

Harry Jeanty is getting to enjoy the fruits of his labor since seeing his son being drafted sixth overall. He was right by Ashton's side the following day in Las Vegas, seeing his son mingle with the likes of Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff.

"Hard work and discipline, the military teaches you those things. And if you take them with you, you can pass them on. Same thing I've done," Harry said. "I think what speaks volumes about that is the fact that he was able to kind of see me wake up early, doing those things on long days. I believe he learned from that. He operates himself in that way. It pays big dividends."

Other Raiders with military ties include long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer, whose father and stepmother met while serving in the Air Force, rookie Caleb Rogers, whose parents were both high-ranked officials in the Army, and Will Putnam, whose father served 30 years in the Army – 24 years of which as a member of the Green Berets.

"It made us really strong as a family unit," Putnam said of the military's impact on his life. "We moved around some growing up and I think moving state to state all across the country always kept us real close as a family. I think also that connection with football was really big too because usually we'd move and it'd be in the summer and always having football was really important for me and keeping our family together."

As football has brought Putnam's family together, he's appreciative the NFL uses the Salute the Service campaign to recognize the contributions made by all veterans – especially the ones who've impacted the Raiders locker room.

"The sacrifices those guys give in service to our country, and also I think it's more so not just them, but also families as well," Putnam said. "Their spouses, their kids, it's really everybody. ... I think it's great, giving those guys some love."

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Las Vegas Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan speaks to volunteers before the Raiders Holiday Meal Packing Party at Intermountain Health Performance Center.