I attended Olivet Nazarene College for one semester before I decided to join the United States Marine Corps on January 4, 1980. After three months in Boot Camp in San Diego, I graduated on April 11, 1980. I then graduated from Infantry Training School (ITS) in June of 1980, and my Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was 0351, Anti-Tank Assault-man. (This means I blew up tanks for a living.)

My first duty assignment was with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, CA; the most decorated battalion in the Marine Corps.  Because of my skills and leadership abilities, in March of 1982 (After returning from my first unit rotation to Okinawa, Japan) I was transferred to Division Schools to become a Dragon (Shoulder fired, Anti-tank guided missile system) Instructor and taught anti-tank assault for several years.

After my first enlistment was complete (February 22, 1984), I separated from the Marine Corps.  Me and my family remained in Southern California where I went into restaurant management.  However, the call of the Corps and the desire to continue my service to my country persisted, so I re-enlisted back into the Marine Corps. I retained my previous MOS and rank and was stationed with my old unit, "Wpns Co., 2/5."  After two more pumps (unit deployments) to Okinawa, Japan, I was able to make a lateral move and enter the computer field ( Not a big life expectancy in the Anti-tank field). In August of 1988, I went to the Marine Corps Computer Sciences School and became a Mainframe COBOL Programmer (MOS 4063 which is now obsolete.)

Me and my family lived in California for more than ten years. In December of 1990, I was transferred to the 6th Marine Corps Recruiting District Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and was stationed there for four years. During this time I was assigned to manage all computer resources in the Southeastern Recruiting District which encompassed 6 states, in addition to having the responsibility for computer resources in the Comptroller's Office which maintained a budget of several million dollars. It was here that I learned about the accounting skills and responsibility required to maintain a budget and keep an organization on the right financial track. Even though it was not my primary role, I frequently found myself in the position of providing financial status reports to senior executives.

In May of 1994, I was transferred to Parris Island, South Carolina to manage the computer network for the bast there. Parris Island is one of two Marine Corps Boot Camps (the other being San Diego).

In August 1998, I received orders to return to Okinawa, Japan. This was my fourth time going there. Fortunately, this time I was able to take my family with me. The previous three deployments to Japan were for unaccompanied for about six months each.  Me and my family were stationed in Okinawa for almost five years.

In my last tour of duty in Okinawa Japan, I held three concurrent billets:

1) VIP Representative

2) Computer Training Director

3) Information Systems Coordinators Director

As the VIP Representative for the Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan, it was my responsibility to provide direct support for all Local executive-level personnel (Colonel through Lieutenant (3-star) General). I was also responsible for providing direct support for all visiting dignitaries. I had the opportunity to meet various notable individuals such as the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense among others. I was also in charge of the Computer Training facilities. It was my responsibility to provide Computer Training for all personnel assigned to Marine Corps Base, Okinawa. This also included personnel from other bases around the island as well. I was also responsible for the Information Systems Coordinators (ISCs) around the island. It was during this time that I truly learned to Multi-task and Multi-process.

I retired from the United States Marine Corps on May 1, 2003, after twenty-two and a half years of dedicated service to God, Country, and Corps (and in that order). I miss active duty within the Marine Corps and the great associations I made over the years, but the desire to serve my country continues.