Where did you serve and what did you do?
Germany 1969/70 Tank Crewman, Vietnam 1971 Helicopter Door Gunner, Ft Campbell KY/ Ft Lenard Wood MO. 1972-74, Germany 1975/78 Helicopter Crewman/Inspector, Ft Lewis WA. 1978-84 Helicopter Inspector, Korea 1984/85 Aircraft Maintenance Section Sargent, Ft Lewis WA. 1985-89 Aircraft Maintenance Section Sargent/Troop 1SG, Saudi Arabia 1990/91 Helicopter TAFT Team Member to the Saudi Army, Ft McPherson GA.1991/92 Aircraft Maintenance Advisor to 2nd Army National Guard and Army Reserves Forces
How are you #StillServing?
By serving as the VFW Department of Arizona, I am the Past State Commander 2018-19. I am continuing my service as Department Adjutant. I am also a member of the American Legion, DAV, Vietnam Veterans of America and Subordinate Auxiliaries. I am on the Military and Veterans Advisor Council to Congresswoman Deborah Lesko. I attend VSO Meetings at the Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott, AZ VA Medical centers.
I am serving by providing and sharing information for our Veterans and their families. We have over 600,000 Veterans in the state. My goal is to reach out to as many as possible and providing a service of information as to who and where to get assistance. I am in the development stages with the AZ Department of Corrections to provide service for veteran inmates that are within 60 to 90 days of getting released from incarceration who may have military service-connected issues that may need to be reinstated or initiated. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, I briefed my program at the D.O.C.Training Academy and was being contacted by D.O.C. in Florence, AZ and Tucson, AZ to expand the program.
Why do you do it?
I believe that communication is the key to successful service. If we don’t provide the information to our veterans and provide the service that we can to them and their families then we fail as an organization. I do it because I believe in what the veterans started over 100 years ago. I believe the struggle should continue and not fail on my watch. The issues are more complex and need more attention today and the lessons learned must be communicated. If we stop caring then we are lying when we say “No one does more for Veterans than the VFW” I do it because my son, my grandson, my son-in-law and three nephews all are combat Veterans. I do it because as the senior veteran in my family I will not let my family down and we have the support of the entire family.