Growing up in a regimented home run by a police officer and a doctor, I gained an early appreciation for discipline, education, and hard work. Since both careers required them to be out of the house at all hours of the day, I also learned to be very independent at an early age as a type of latchkey kid. It wasn’t uncommon for my brother, sister, and I to prepare ourselves for school, ride our bikes to and from, and then amuse ourselves in the afternoon until adult supervision arrived. We made our own meals and had to be self-starters in our school work. This was all before the age of ten.
Naturally, I took that family foundation and joined the military. My outlook solidified with Army basic training at Fr Knox, KY, continued through the regimentation of the Air Force Academy, and carried me through as an Air Force officer and eventual entrepreneur.
I have always been rules-oriented… I like to see things work the way they are intended. My professional life has spanned both public and private sectors; military and civilian cultures; spiritual and temporal matters. In all of them, one key focus is important: “remember who you serve.” I believe that most problems in this world would disappear if we would just keep our purpose foremost in our minds… our purpose is to serve. The challenge is to recognize who is served in every decision we make.