Current Residence: Fort Campbell
Career after the military: I am currently on active duty status, but when I get out or retire I would like to continue a similar occupation.
Hobbies: I enjoy playing guitar and singing. I am also an avid cyclist.
Branch of Service: United States Army
Dates of Service: June 18, 2013, to current.
How long did you serve? I have served 2 years 8 months so far.
Deployments/Bases: I went to basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, attended advanced individual training at Fort Huachuca in Arizona and am currently stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. I completed one tour in Afghanistan in 2015.
What do you do in the service? I work as an all source analyst.
Did you join the military or were you drafted? I volunteered for service
What did you learn from serving in the military? I've learned how to selflessly serve, to be confident and that mind over matter is very real. When it comes down to it, it's the lives of the people around you that matter, to make your family proud and to serve honorably. Confidence is extremely important if you want to take charge and be an effective leader. Also there have been several times when I wanted to quit, but then I remember why I'm here and I push right on through. If you quit, you'll be a quitter for the rest of your life.
What's a memorable moment from your service? The most memorable experience I've had during my enlistment was my tour to Afghanistan last year. I felt like a boy stepping onto that plane, but I sure felt like a man when I stepped off. Days were very long there and the job was very fast paced. It was also really annoying when Taliban members fired rockets at our base. Also I never really put too much thought before into how hard a deployment can be on a family back home. I don't think our families get quite enough credit and I would like to personally thank all of the military families out there.
What would you like readers to know about your military experience? I haven't been enlisted for too long but I know one thing for sure — it's an experience that everyone should have. The military teaches you to really appreciate the small things in life, like good food and company. You become disciplined and the country is counting on you and cheering you on. I think one of the most important things in life is to know that you've made a positive change in the world. Being in the military will ensure that.
Hometown Heroes is a weekly feature profiling Clark and Champaign County veterans compiled with the assistance of local Vietnam veteran Randy Ark. To nominate a veteran, e-mail samantha.sommer@coxinc.com or randyark48@gmail.com or call 937-328-0363. Any veteran of any military branch, years of service and age is eligible to be profiled.
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