| I was born and raised in upstate New York at a time when schools still had rifle teams and civics were still being taught. As the state started to change, so did my desire to live there. I have always been a fan of mountain men like Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, and Daniel Boone and wanted to live in the Western United States. At 19, I joined the military as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina. After my initial enlistment, I attended college in Florida where I met my wife, Tracy. I then attended the University of Central Florida, majoring in Athletic Training before re-enlisting in the Florida National Guard with the 20th Special Forces Group. I completed the Special Forces Training in 1994 and then graduated the Special Forces Medical Sergeants Course that same year before becoming a Green Beret in 1996. After getting married in 1997, I was selected to attend Arrowhead Regional Medical Orthopedic PA program, and I have been an Orthopedic PA ever since. In 2001, we moved to Wyoming and lived here until 2004 before moving back again in 2019. Today, my wife and I have 4 grown children, 2 grandchildren, 2 horses, 3 dogs and 2 cats, and we love living in the same historic region I read about as a kid. |