I was raised in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgiaby a lower middle class, blue collar family. My father worked for Southern Railway coupling and decoupling rail cars. My mother was an admin in an office. College was something that was suggested in my home, but there was never any conversation as to what I was going to major in or how I was going to pay for it. The expectation was simply to go to school, make good grades, and stay out of trouble. I wasn’t perfect; two out of three of these demands were accomplished with no problem. The high school I graduated from wasn’t any better in helping me to understand the process of furthering my education beyond college. Not wanting to work menial jobs after graduation I enlisted in the United States Air Force.
During my seven year enlistment,I worked as a Missile Maintenance Tech and after 3 years I cross trained as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Tech. If my memory serves me correctly, my exiting course grade was a 94% from a multi-branch, naval proctored, technical school that had a 70% attrition rate. Due to the nature of my job, I was unable to attend college because I was being deployed so often that attending a brick and mortar institution would not have been feasible and online classes did not exist at that time. I was able to travel to many states within the continental United States as well as to a few countries overseas. I gained a better appreciation for the U.S. by witnessing how people in other countries lived. Basic things such as paved roads, running water, indoor bathrooms, and sanitation are things many of us take for granted. Through my travels was I able to meet the likes of Presidential candidate Bill Clinton, Turkish President TurgutÖzal, and quite a few other foreign dignitaries while working alongside of the U.S. Secret service. I enjoyed what I did for my country, wore my uniform with pride, and was able to be commended regularly for outstanding achievement and performance.
While serving at an Air Base in Jordan I was witness to an IED exploding and killing Jordanian Airmen. One of which was a Lieutenant I befriended my first day on the base. This fine gentleman, who had treated me like a brother from our first introduction, died while I was attempting to administer CPR and stop him from bleeding from the shrapnel. To this day, my ears still ring from the pressure of the explosion, I still feel as if his blood is still on me and I occasionally have nightmares reliving the incident.
As a result, I went through a period in which it was difficult for me to maintain focus, watch violence on television without having panic attacks, allow friendships to mature and I have experienced two divorces. I am currently rated as 80% disabled from the VA (20% Right Leg injury, 70% PTSD) I’m fortunate that my past struggles didn’t prevent my current wife from running for the hills when I asked her to marry me. This year will be our 8th year of marriage and without a doubt she is the person I draw the most strength from and is my best friend. It is because of her that encouragement that was able to go back to school and complete my undergraduate degree and finish with a 3.38 GPA.
In retrospect, I was a responsible mature 18 year old when I entered basic training. Therefore, my enlistment was as much about me maturing as it was about me learning how to be self-sufficient by learning how to budget my time and my resources. The sound of boots from an entire flight hitting pavement in unison exemplifies the oneness I experienced in team settings in which my fellow airmen became closer to me than my blood relatives. Additionally, everything I do in both my personal and professional life I owe to the USAF in honing my skills. I thrive in team settings and am always looking out for the weakest link to help where is necessary so that the mission succeeds. I am religiously showing up for appointments no less than 15-20 ahead of time. I make it a point to show up prepared and ready to add value to any meeting I am called to take part in. When I am on my own time I am constantly training and working on upgrading my skillsets so that my talents can be better used in a team setting. My clothes are always ironed and arranged orderly in my closet, and my daily dress is beyond reproach. I actually take it as a compliment when my in-laws go out of their way to make sure their home is as clean as mine before I visit, because they seem to think that I would be uncomfortable in an unkempt environment. It is my constant desire that my actions reflect positively on myself, my family, my community, and my country.
