I joined the U.S. Air Force after graduation from high school. I was eventually assigned as a crew chief for C-130s at McChord Air Force Base in Washington. Since our group provided mission support for the Army 82nd Airborne, we were deployed worldwide. I was able to travel to all corners of the world and gain perspective on how blessed we are here in America. Our living standards are amazing and we should all be thankful.

We adopted this motto for our small squadron of overachievers: “We have done so much with so little for so long, now we can do almost anything with nothing.”

Today, I am the vice president of marketing and community relations at Mid Oregon Federal Credit Union. I am proud to have served my country and to be recognized as a veteran. It’s amazing that such a small percentage constitute the U.S. armed forces and are willing and able to go into harm’s way to defend our freedom and democracy.

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