Current Residence: Centerville
Family: Wife, Susan; two step-sons, Michael and Christopher
Career After the Military: Business owner
Hobbies and Interests: Football, computers, history and supporting military groups such as the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Honor Flight and the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program
Branch of Service: U.S. Air Force, Ohio Air National Guard and Ohio Military Reserve
Did you join the military or were you drafted? Enlisted shortly after re-institution of mandatory draft registration
Dates of Service: Dec. 19 1980 to July 31, 2003, and Oct. 18, 2003 to Sept. 30, 2013.
Deployments/Bases: Cold Lake Canadian Forces Base, Alberta, Canada; Goose Bay Canadian Forces Base, Labrador, Canada; Howard Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone; Royal Air Force Sculthorpe, Norfolk, England; Air Base Karup, Jutland, Denmark; Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Springfield Air National Guard Base, Ohio
Total time that you served: A total of 32 years, 6 months and 24 days.
What did you do in the service? Aircraft (A-7D/A-7K) Radio Mechanic, Wing Safety Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, First Sergeant and Battalion Command Sergeant Major.
What did you gain from serving in the military? A sense of being part of something bigger than myself. I learned that as a team, we can accomplish nearly anything.
What do you remember most about your service? The community mission of the National Guard. I was privileged to work with families, schools, local agencies and various media outlets throughout the Clark County area. We provided food, clothing, toys and child safety training.
Working with Chief Ron Ray as he created Safety Dog and a dedicated team as they developed and executed the KIDSAFE program was an honor. At the state level, working the Ohio River flood recovery operations in 1997 was a real eye-opener; Army and Air Guard troops working seamlessly with local, state and federal agencies to help flood victims put their lives back in some sort of order.
And flying backseat in the F-16 with retired Col. Rick Lohnes (now a Clark County commissioner) ranks way up there.
What would you like readers to know about your military experience? In the military, we’re all family. It doesn’t matter when, where, what branch or what your job was, we are all one and we take care of our own — no man left behind as they say. I was just a very small cog in a very big machine and worked hard at staying out of the way of those that were doing the heavy lifting.
Awards and Decorations: Armed Forces Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Silver Hourglass Device, Ohio Meritorious Service Medal, Ohio Commendation Medal, Ohio National Guard Faithful Service Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, 1995 Ohio Air National Guard Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, 1996 Miami Valley Military Affairs Association Ohio National Guardsman of the Year
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.
About the Author