While some people are able to do just about any job or anything with their lives, I have always been driven by purpose and service. What's my purpose in this and how am I making life better for others has been the main question I've tried to answer. Serving in the U.S. Army helped me fulfill that purpose. I took pride in wearing the uniform and always volunteered with various community and national charities such as: Christmas in April, Special Olympics and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. After retiring from the Army, I pursued a career in law enforcement both local and federal, but previous injuries from multiple deployments overseas began to take their toll. After finding myself unable to physically perform in law enforcement, I was forced to resign and suffered from PTSD, depression and anger while questioning my purpose and wondering if life was over. Months of pain pills and doctor visits blurred into a lot of wasted time. Finally after some encouragement from family and friends, I enrolled in counseling through the VA in Jacksonville FL. One day, while sitting in the office, waiting for the counselor, I read about vocational retraining opportunities and how so many people, some older than me, were going back to school. One lady graduated with a bachelor at 64 years old! Right then I told myself, if she can do it so can I. I didn't become a Soldier or Police Officer overnight so I understood it would take a lengthy process to become something different. Counseling turned out to be exactly what I needed and after six month of that, I enrolled at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia Georgia for the Medical Laboratory Tech program. Once again my purpose driven fire was lit as I realized, I'd play and important role in saving lives. While doctors and nurses are the visible aspects of Healthcare, doctors rarely make a determination without ordering labs and that's where I'd step in. Not only would I work in a hospital or lab, I'd be able to volunteer at St. Jude's Children's Hospital and would be able to combine a love of travel with work helping people overseas. Once the MLT program is compete, I plan on continuing my education and one day becoming an instructor so I can train the next generation of Lab Technicians. One silver lining has been a number of veterans who have benefitted from my story. I've lost count at how many have told me they were encouraged to seek mental health counseling and to go back to school themselves.

Inspirational movies and books such as: the Bible, the Rosie Project and Outbreak which tell stories about people who overcame obstacles and persevered have always helped drive me to do better or in the words of Winston Churchill to, "never give up." Grandma Gatewood's Walk is another favorite as it depicts a lady in her 60s hiking the entire 2,160 mile Appalachian Trail twice! When asked why, she simply stated, "because I wanted to." Although I'm older than most college students and have already had a successful career in the US Army, I understand we only fail when we quit. I was reading a book, If the Tomb is Empty by Pastor Joby Martin and noticed how he kept asking what are we doing with our lives to benefit others? Yes, I could continue to live off retirement and work a regular retail job, but is that truly helping and motivating others? I needed to do something different; something with more purpose. If Grandma Gatewood can hike the Appalachian Trail, then I can go back to school and pursue a completely different career path. With physical limitations from injuries suffered overseas while in the Army, I had to find something to do that would both benefit others and give me a purpose, but what? That question motivated me to enroll at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia Georgia to pursue a degree and new career as a Medical Lab Technician or MLT. While the doctors and nurses may be who people see and recognize when it comes to healthcare, there are many people involved in the process. A doctor can't make the proper determination without first knowing what's going on with labs and that's where I'll come into play. Other motivating factors in this new path are the numerous movies and books about medical personnel providing services to less fortunate overseas and seeing the countless ads about the need for skilled professions in certain areas of the country and around the world especially with organizations like the Red Cross, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and Samaritan's Purse. This will combine my love of travel with the desire to improve someone else's life. My Freshman English professor encouraged us to continue to improve by reading at least one book per month and try to learn a new skill each year. If we've always wanted to learn how to cook, read some cookbooks and follow the recipes etc. By following his advice, I've decided while working as a MLT to gain the needed years of experience, I will further my education so I'll be able to become an instructor and teach the next generation of Medical Lab Technician's and Biologists.