My military service taught me the value of service, sacrifice, dedication, teamwork, patriotism and, most of all, the true value of what our freedom cost. These characteristics will continue to be building blocks in my life as I become a leader in public service and raise five amazing children.  Service to one’s country is a long-term commitment bound by a written contract that has a blank check attached to it. The blank check is written to the people of the United States for an unknown amount that may include the life of that service member, a decision that does not come easy for a teenage kid in school. Between my 17th and 18th birthday I chose to become the fourth consecutive generation service member in my family in the United States armed forces. Not only did I make a commitment to my country but to my family. They too would be accepting sacrifices on my behalf.  For 17 years I had enjoyed the freedoms many had fought for. It was now time to pay my dues. I enlisted in the United States Army in February of 2005 and served as an Infantryman. I toured 12 months in  Afghanistan where I served along some of the bravest men I have ever known. I am not a hero, but I have walked among them. I dedicated 8 years of service to my country before I, with my family, decided it was time to find a different career. I needed a  career that would allow me to focus more on my family and less on what is going on outside of it.  My military career was one of the most rewarding and best decisions I ever made for myself. It would be the paving foundation for my future. I will never be able to repay the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for me, my family and this great country. 

Through my personal growth and building of leadership characteristics I have refined the many traits that continue to be the foundation of my professional service. I am now providing leadership training with perspectives from multiple disciplines. I have been entrusted to mentor the new hire employees and help them to develop their own leadership tracks. Born with a servant’s heart, my time after the military was not yet finished with giving back to those who gave to me first. I relocated to my hometown and quickly found myself employed by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, where I was given the unique opportunity to serve in a peculiar role of public service. I was placed into the role of a triple certified Deputy Sheriff. I soon became commissioned as a law enforcement officer, firefighter and an EMT-B, fulfilling the role of an aircraft rescue firefighter and first responder for the East Texas Regional Airport. Here I learned the foundations of leadership in public service, community policing activities and what meaning my life had after military service. After 5 years of service, I was provided an advancing career opportunity to apply with the Longview Fire Department. This is the city that built me from the ground up. I was hired in 2017 and afforded the opportunity to advance my EMS certification to Paramedic in 2019. I have been serving the citizens of Longview, Texas for 6 years now and look forward to coming to work every shift. I currently serve as a Driver/Engineer (drives the fire truck) and a Deputy Fire Marshal with the Fire Marshal’s Office. I truly have the most rewarding career I think any person could have.