I want to live a good life
What is a good life? Have fun, help others, learn and grow, and try to achieve things, these are important parts of the recipe of having a good life.
Growing Up
Born and raised in Arkansas and Mississippi, some of my favorite memories are fishing with my dad, riding a three-wheeler in the mud, playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends, and playing French Horn in the high school band.
Joining the Marines
I joined the Marine Corps in 1989 and stayed in for 5 years. I worked in F/A-18s and deployed to Desert Storm. I travelled around the world several times and the exposure to different cultures was a good thing for me.
College and Houston
After getting out of the Marines in 1994 I went to the University of Arkansas at Monticello and then transferred to the University of Houston. In Texas I worked as a bartender and also volunteered in a local fire department. I made many great friends and enjoyed life.
Moving to Oregon
I decided that this life was brief and as such I ought to live someplace that I truly loved and my heart had been crying for the Pacific Northwest. So I suddenly withdrew from college, gave away most of my belongings, and moved to Oregon in 2000.
Operation Iraqi Freedom 2
I was attending college at the University of Oregon and I quit in order to deploy with the Oregon National Guard to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2.
After Iraq and a Bachelors Degree
After Iraq I continued studies at Portland State University and completed a Bachelors of Science degree in both Psychology and Philosophy. I run marathons, play guitar, read books and hike for fun. I work in a variety of ways to help veterans increase resilience and reintegrate back after deployment.
Where I Work
I currently do a variety of work. I am a co-facilitator for the C.A.D.R.E. Program, which is a veteran PTSD domestic violence batterer intervention program based out of Oregon City. I am also an infantry instructor as part of my reserve duties with the Oregon National Guard. And I recently moved from two years of working with the Reintegration Team, helping veterans transition from deployment to life after deployment to a new job as part of the Resiliency Program with the Oregon National Guard where I am a Master Resiliency Trainer. Here is my LinkedIn Profile.