Where did you serve and what did you do?
I served for 30 years in the Navy, Army, and Air Force in Communications and AirTransportation. I went on 3 Mediterranean cruises with the 6th Fleet, was in the Mediterranean during the Iran Hostage Crisis, and served in Afghanistan in 2011.
How are you #StillServing?
I served as a fireman for 20 years on a volunteer fire department in Mercer, Missouri, 12 years as a volunteer firemen on a volunteer fire department in Cainsville, Missouri. After 9/11, I went to Ground Zero to help with recovery efforts as a volunteer fireman. I volunteer at an animal shelter near my home. I do volunteer work at a food pantry at a town 8 miles south of mine in Princeton, Missouri. A food pantry truck comes to my school in Mercer once a month and I help with it, helping provide food to those in need. I am a member of the VFW in Princeton and the American Legion in Mercer (Post Adjutant, Chaplain, Historian). Through the Legion and VFW, I have been involved in many various community activities such as providing Christmas gifts for local children, providing scholarships for students, sending students to Boys and Girls State (Legion), providing the opportunity for competition in oral and writing contests involving patriotism (VFW) in my school, and – most important of all – providing military funeral rites for deceased veterans and their families. These activities help the community through continued education, providing for the needs of kids, and honoring people who served one last time as they pass on.
Why do you do it?
My parents taught me to serve others and our family has a long history of serving others from the US and England. My military service and my teaching career have added to the desire to serve and help others.