With the iconic synth-driven beats of “Sirius” booming and 85,000 Huskers clapping in rhythm, the Memorial Stadium gates cracked open.
Tendrils of theatrical smoke poured forth as Nebraska’s Dylon Taylor turned to fellow service members and asked, “Are you ready?” With approvals (and grins) all around, Taylor gripped an American flag with two hands and charged forth, leading soldiers and the Husker football team onto the field for the Nov. 2 Military Appreciation Day game.
“When we ran out, my adrenaline was through the roof,” said Taylor, a staff sergeant and Marine with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Navy ROTC program. “All I can really remember is the crowd — the roar.
“Leading them out, holding the flag, was an incredible honor. To me, it was symbolic of what it means to be a Marine and knowing that we always lead from the front.”
College ‘not in the playbook’
As he prepared for high school graduation as a teen in Colorado, Taylor had dreams of enrolling at Dear Old Nebraska U.
A wrestler in high school, Taylor was drawn to the Huskers by the success of Olympian Jordan Burroughs and the toughness of the sport in universities across the Big Ten Conference and Midwest. Unfortunately, he did not make the cut.
“I had a conversation with my dad, but my grades weren’t good enough for college,” Taylor said. “He told me that I basically had no other choice than to choose military service.”
The moment brought perspective. While Taylor’s dad served during the Cold War in the Air Force in the 1980s and his grandfather served in the Navy in the wake of the Korean Conflict, he gravitated toward advice from his cousin, who served in the Marines during conflicts in the Middle East.
“My cousin’s stories and the opportunity to serve as a Marine, our best in U.S. military service, is what stood out to me,” Taylor said. “I’ve always liked challenges, never been one to shy away from anything hard. The Marines felt like where I belonged, so that’s what I chose.”
He enlisted in 2010 and has since been stationed from San Diego to Hawaii. In his 13 and a half years, deployments have included Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East; serving as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina; and now, assisting with Navy ROTC training at UNL.
“I never expected to be at a university,” Taylor said. “But, this is exactly what I had hoped for. Being here is a great opportunity to teach and work with future leaders of our military. I’ve also started preparing for life after the military by taking environmental sciences classes with plans to work as a game warden.
“That’s what I want to be after I grow up.”
Prepping the next generation
Between his service as a drill instructor and now ROTC leader, Taylor has trained or mentored more than 1,000 recruits, instilling in them the discipline and resilience that define the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. He is halfway through his three-year assignment at UNL and enjoys working one-to-one with the 38 cadets in the Navy ROTC program — which include 13 seeking service as Marines.
“It is a privilege to work with these future military leaders,” Taylor said. “Every day, I hope my perspective impacts them, shapes them, in positive ways. Just like I was shaped.”
The strong connections he makes with the cadets is a reason why he ended up running the flag out onto the field. While waiting for the gates to open, Peyton Weigand, a cadet who graduated recently and is preparing for his first deployment, handed Taylor the flag.
“We were waiting under the stadium, and they gave the flag to me because I was the youngest in the group, freshly commissioned,” Weigand said. “I thought it should be someone with more experience, someone who earned the opportunity.
“I immediately turned to (Staff Sergeant) Taylor because he has been a tremendously positive influence on me. He has earned the right to lead us out of the gate, so I gave it to him.”
For Taylor, the entire sequence will never be forgotten.
“It was made even more special because my dad came from Colorado to see the game,” Taylor said. “We didn’t plan for it or anything. But he and my wife were in the stands, and they got to see me run the team out onto the field.
“I’m so glad I have this opportunity to serve here at Nebraska. It’s been an incredible honor.”
