I join the United States Army, my father served in Vietnam in the Navy. My uncle served in Vietnam during the Marine Corps and I had a cousin that was currently in the army, and you know I just thought you know. Let's carry on the tradition, let's keep the family service going so I looked into other things and I felt the army was the best fit for me when I was active duty, it was in 1989.

I went right out of high school shortly after that, within a year, Iraq had invaded Kuwait and we had a buildup called Operation Desert Shield I was with the first cab down at Fort Hood Texas with my infantry unit, and we were deployed over there to become exactly that: a shield to prevent Iraq from coming out of Kuwait going into Saudi Arabia and eventually that, as we all know, led up into Operation Desert Storm, we were on the front lines we were deployed north from the northern neutral zone.

Up into Basra was as far north as we went. One of the greatest experiences I walked away with coming out of. There was just taking things for granted, those of us that have never been in that situation just running water. We didn't have that. You know we couldn't take a shower.

Turning on a light switch when you walk into a dark room when I came back, it was a real humbling experience to be over there and coming back. It really made me appreciate. You know what we have here, that much more so I'm currently employed with the st. Charles County Sheriff's Department I'm, a corporal training officer, one of the skills that I've taken from the military is just the the desire in the will to want to help people when I was over in Desert.

Storm I saw how how poor they were, and how for lack of better terms, people would take advantage of them. I certainly want to help that out. I want to be the one to help somebody this down-on-their-luck, maybe maybe you know that victim that's looking for help searching for help. You know get the helpful um that they need I. Think with me being in my position, I am I'm. Pretty fortunate I do work in the courts. I can give advice to certain counseling's counselors programs that are out there and available for people.

So it's it's been very rewarding currently I'm part of the veteran's best practices group. It's a committee that we've formed been around for a little over a year. We are looking for ways to find those military people, explain the differences of the military or the similarities on the military job that they performed and what we as a county can offer them. We want there's their skill, set their leadership, the things that they learned and developed in the military we want to. We want them to bring that to st.

Charles County and make us what is already great, even better.