I was born into a military family. My father was an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Air Force. We traveled the world with him and learned a lot about working hard to support a family. For most of those years, mom was a mother, a wife, and homemaker.

During High School, I became the Air Force Jr ROTC cadet commander, and flew my first airplane solo at age 15 before I could drive.

In college I got my Private Pilot license and met my wife and soulmate. We were married with 2 years of college remaining.

I was Commissioned in1986 and my own personal world adventure began. While in Okinawa Japan, my sons were born in 1991 and 1993. I also flew hundreds of missions in support of Operation Desert Storm.

As the boys grew, I became a Cub Scout leader and then Boy Scout Assistant Scoutmaster.

I was Big Bad Dad to my boys, and I cherished every rough and tumble wrestling match as well as sing-song goodnight putting them to bed. I had no limits whatsoever. In scouting, I was the dad that went anywhere and did anything with the scouts while providing balanced leadership.

I retired from active duty in 2006, but finding a job while the government had a “no-hiring” rule in place. My boys learned about saving and getting by on a little money right then. My wife worked then, and I had three jobs during that time that did not survive the 2008 global recession. In 2009, I went back to active duty in the Air Force. In 2011, I retired again and became a civilian server with the Air Force.

As a civilian, my sons graduated from high school, and they went off to and completed college. In 2019, with the boys gone and independent we decided to go to Germany and work a few years. In Germany, we weathered the Covid-19 lockdown by hiking over every hill and mountain we could find.

We returned to the United States in 2022 and got back to work finding and buying our retirement dream home. We started planning a retirement to start around 2026.

Change happens. In March of 2023 while at the gym like every day, I was benching a moderate amount. After a few repetitions, I was having trouble fully extending my right arm. That continued for weeks so I went in to my family doctor who suspected tendonitis and recommended giving my arm some rest. In April I began slurring words. I thought I had congestion from post nasal drip. I saw an ENT that confirmed my nose, throat, and chest were clear.

In May my hands started cramping and people suspected I was day drinking and that was affecting my speech. This simply was not true. In June I entered the VA Whole Health program which included nutrition, psychology, and speech pathology. By August, all three said I was fine and did not need their services.

My speech got worse, but I could carry on normal conversation. In October 2023, I saw my family doctor again to show him my changes. He quickly referred me to a neurologist. I saw the neurologist twice in November. He referred me to another facility for MRI’s and then an EMG. After completing all tests, the neurologist called me while my wife and I were enjoying a fine café at a favorite barista. He identified himself and said, “I have never seen it, but I think you have ALS.”  He referred me to an ALS clinic. My ALS diagnosis came on 4 Jan 2024. Fortunately, my doctor was also a VA neurologist, so VA support was very quick. At my first VA session, I met with a lot of specialists, most notably the Paralyzed Veterans of America. They did a ton of paperwork for me.

I got involved with the PVA and IAMALS during the summer of 2024. Even though I cannot speak much now, and I get my permanent wheelchair soon, I brief anyone that will listen on my ALS campaign which is like many others.