Lest we forget...SB67: Montgomery’s Hostile Takeover of Alabama’s Veterans and the Political Assassination of Admiral Davis

Guest Opinion by Troy D. Carico

There are political betrayals, and then there are the ones that leave lasting angst and the want for vengeance; the kinds veterans recognize instantly because they’ve seen them in failed missions, derelict commands, corrupt regimes, and collapsing institutions. SB67 wasn’t legislation. It was a hostile takeover, executed with the precision of a palace coup and the moral courage of a faceless retreating mob.

At the center of this storm stands Rear Admiral Kent Davis, the former ADVA Commissioner, de facto leader and vanguard for the 440,000 plus Alabama Veteran Nation. Admiral Davis was a man who committed the unforgivable sin in Montgomery; He attempted to hold accountable government fiscal mischief, he dared to ask where the missing $7 million in ARPA‑funded veteran suicide‑prevention money went.

For demanding answers, Admiral Davis was removed after two unsuccessful removal votes by the ADVA and ultimately unilaterally removed by "supreme executive authority" per Governor Kay Ivey. SB67 was the follow‑through, the political equivalent of a scorched earth policy so no future commissioner would ever dare challenge the Governor’s machine again.

THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE; THIS WAS NO MANDATE

When SB67 first limped out of the Senate on February 18, 2025, it scraped by with 21 votes — a thin 61.7%. Thirteen senators refused to support it. By the time it reached the House on March 6, 2025, opposition had grown so strong that Rep. Ed Oliver had to rush the bill through before dissent became a majority. The final tally?

56 for, 48 against/abstaining/absent — a razor‑thin 53.8%.

This wasn’t a mandate. This was a government sweating through its shirt like an illiterate poet attempting to read prose at an open microphone night. And here’s the telltale crack in the façade: Two of the original sponsors of HB154, Reps. Mooney and Pettus voted, AGAINST SB67. Let that sink in for a minute. When your own architects abandon the building project, it means they’ve smelled the blameful smoke inside this plot and correctly ejected from that doomed and damning cockpit.

THE WALL OF SHAME: The Legislators Who Voted to Strip Veterans of Their Independence and Silence Future Whistleblowers

Below is the full roll call thie names of those who voted FOR SB67, those who stood AGAINST it, and those who hid behind abstention or absence. These are the lawmakers who either defended veterans’ independence… or helped dismantle it.

SENATE — SB67 VOTE

Voted FOR SB67 (21)
Albritton, Allen, Beasley, Carnley, Chambliss, Chesteen, Gudger, Hatcher, Jones, Kitchens, Livingston, Melson, Price, Sessions, Shelnutt, Singleton, Smitherman, Stewart, Stutts, Waggoner, Williams

Voted AGAINST SB67 (9)
Barfoot, Bell, Butler, Coleman‑Evans, Elliott, Figures, Givhan, Kelley, Weaver

Abstained (1)
Coleman‑Madison

Absent (3)
Hovey, Orr, Roberts

HOUSE — SB67 VOTE

Voted FOR SB67 (56)
Almond, Baker, Bedsole, Blackshear, Bolton, Boyd, Butler, Clouse, Collins, Colvin, Crawford, DuBose, Ellis, Faulkner, Forte, Garrett, Gray, Hammett, Harbison, Hassell, Hulsey, Hurst, Ingram, Kirkland, Lamb, Lawrence, Ledbetter, Lee, Lipscomb, Lomax, Lovvorn, Marques, McCampbell, Moore, Oliver, Paramore, Paschal, Rafferty, Rehm, Reynolds, Rigsby, Robertson, Ross, Sells, Shaver, Shaw, Smith, Sorrells, Starnes, Stubbs, Travis, Treadaway, Wadsworth, Warren, Whitt, Whorton

Voted AGAINST SB67 (41)
Bracy, Brinyark, Brown, Carns, Chestnut, Clarke, Daniels, Datcher, Drummond, Easterbrook, England, Ensler, Estes, Fidler, Fincher, Givens, Hall, Harrison, Hendrix, Holk‑Jones, Jackson, Kiel, Lands, Mooney, Moore, Morris, Pettus, Pringle, Sellers, Shirey, Simpson, Standridge, Stringer, Tillman, Underwood, Wilcox, Wood (Debbie), Wood (Randy), Woods, Yarbrough

Abstained (3)
Givan, Hollis, Jones

Absent (5)
Gidley, Hill, McClammy, Robbins, Stadthagen

SIDEBAR: THE MISSING $7 MILLION: The Question That Got Admiral Kent Davis Removed

In 2023–2024, Alabama received $7 million in ARPA funds specifically earmarked for veteran suicide prevention — a crisis claiming the lives of 17–22 veterans per day nationwide.

Those funds were transferred to the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH).

Then the trail went cold.

No programs.
No measurable outcomes.
No transparency.
No accounting.

Admiral Kent Davis — a veteran, a leader, and a man who understood the stakes — asked the only question that mattered:

“Where is the money meant to save veterans’ lives?”

For that, he was removed.

SB67 ensured no commissioner will ever ask again.

THE CRIME ISN’T WHAT HAPPENED — IT’S WHAT DIDN’T

No one is accusing anyone of criminal wrongdoing.
But the absence of accountability is staggering.

Seven million dollars intended to stop veteran suicides vanished into bureaucratic fog.

The commissioner who asked about it was removed.
A bill was rushed through to ensure no commissioner ever asks again.
A redundant veterans organ was created, staffed entirely by political loyalists.
Not a single veteran among them.

If this happened in a military unit, it would trigger an investigation before breakfast.

In Montgomery, it triggered a celebration.

THE RALLYING CRY

For the Veterans Who Still Stand Watch

Montgomery may think this fight is over.

It isn’t.

Veterans don’t forget who stood with them and who sold them out.

They don’t forget who fought for transparency and who punished those who asked questions.

They don’t forget the names on that Wall of Shame.

And they will not forget Admiral Kent Davis, the man who dared to ask,
“Where is the $7 million meant to save veterans’ lives?” and was removed for it. In essence this administration and those legislators have blood on their hands now.

SB67 will be remembered not as reform, but as a warning shot, the moment Alabama’s government declared that veterans are useful symbols, not valued citizens.

But veterans are awake now.

And once awake, they shall not return to sleep.

The line has been crossed.
The breach has been made.
And the veterans of Alabama are forming ranks.

This is not the end.
This is the rally point.
Lest we forget.

Troy Carico is a decorated U.S. Army Veteran whose career spanned more than 22 years in uniform. He began as an infantryman and was later commissioned as an officer, earning additional branch qualifications in counterintelligence and military intelligence. His service record includes numerous awards for distinction, as well as recognition as a service-connected disabled Veteran. Following his military career, Carico continued serving the nation as a civilian intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s elite Great Skills Program, where he took part in multiple clandestine assignments across the globe.

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