Rob, United States Marine Corps, NY Army Guard, Air Force

December 2013 Class

Age:     40                                                                     Years in Service:     14.5 Years        Rank: E5

Served in:  Qatar, Iraq

My Family:

I was born in Milton, FL and grew up in Tallahassee and Greenville, FL. After graduating from high school, I attended North Florida Community College for two years. Coming from a military family and always wanting to serve my country, it wasn’t until I lost a game of pool (scratched on the 8-ball) to a Marine Corps’ recruiter that I finally decided to join. 

In February of 2005, I married my wife Jennifer and moved to San Antonio.  We have two boys and live in Navarre, FL (3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico).  Alex is 5 years old and J.T. is 3.

My Military Career:

In March of 1994, I stepped foot onto those “World Famous” yellow footprints at Parris Island, SC. I earned the title “Marine” in May and then was off to Marine Combat Training and Morse Code School. My first duty station was Camp Lejeune, NC and I was accepted into the Mobile Electronic Warfare Support System (MEWSS) platoon and was able to travel extensively. Assigned as the Vehicle Commander for 1-of-12 MEWSS vehicles ($5.2M), my duties included, supervising the day-to-day training, morale & welfare of 4 Marines, and general maintenance & upkeep of the Light Armored Vehicle platform.  In 1997, I was sent for a 3-month Temporary Duty (TDY) assignment to Owego, NY to work with Lockheed Martin to provide end-user input, assist with hardware upgrades for the new MEWSS vehicle and help establish training guidelines for future deployment operations of the MEWSS fleet. Upon the completion, I was offered an employment opportunity with Lockheed, which I accepted. In March of 1998, after 4 years of honorable service, I left the Corps. 

While working at Lockheed, I was approached several times by a supervisor (Brig Gen NY Army Nat’l Guard) to join the NY Army Guard. Finally in October of 2000, I joined the 204th Engineer Battalion as a cook. One of the benefits of joining was: free tuition to any state university. I enrolled and was accepted into the culinary department at SUNY Delhi and I was scheduled to start class in the spring of 2002.  On September 11th, I was notified of the 9/11 attacks and was immediately ordered into active duty by the Governor of NY. 

Upon arriving in NY, my unit was stationed at Ft. Hamilton. The interesting point about the base is: I was named after General Robert E. Lee. Captain Robert E. Lee was an engineer in the US Army and resigned his commission at Ft. Hamilton, prior to commanding the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War (His house is still standing, as a museum). Once at Ground Zero, I was assigned to post at the intersection of West and Chambers. This was the main entry/exit point for the site. All vehicle and foot traffic had to pass by me and my team. Early on, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the sight “Safe”. The first responders were only given dust masks for the first week. After two weeks, they finally received respirators and were able to comfortably continue the mission. 

When the unit returned to Binghamton, I immediately tried to re-enlist in the USMC; however, was denied rank and my last job due to the overwhelming amount of patriots attempting to join. So I followed in my father’s footsteps and joined the Air Force as a military police officer (Security Forces). After attending the SF Police Academy on Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX, I was stationed at Buckley AFB in Aurora, CO.  I deployed to Qatar and Iraq and even completed Enemy Prisoner of War (EPW) Repatriation Missions where I was thrown against the fuselage of his C-130 cargo during landing at the Baghdad Int’l Airport.  I now suffer from chronic pain and nerve damage stemming from the C7 vertebrate.

With no signs of a neck injury I continued doing what I was trained to do…excel at my job!  In 2004, I was selected as a Military Training Instructor (Drill Instructor).. In May 2005, I started MTI School and was presented with my hat during the weekly graduation ceremony on 16 September. I was an MTI for a year and a half before I started feeling the effects of my injuries. I was getting weekly migraines, had sleeplessness, anger issues, diminished respiratory symptoms and my ability to stand and teach, march, or run was getting worse. In 2007, I was assigned to a desk job, while still getting to wear the “Smokey the Bear hat”. 

My Career Now:

I am currently the Resource Advisor (Budget Analyst) for the 96th Security Forces Squadron on Eglin AFB, FL. Eglin AFB is the largest military installation (geographically) in the world. The squadron has over 450+ military and civilian personnel.

In December of 2012, I met Ken Gestring and founded Emerald Coast Wounded Warriors Inc.  We support the 100+ local warriors and their families that live or that are stationed between Panama City and Pensacola, FL. They are able to have events and fundraisers to identify and educate individuals on the effects of PTSD/TBI. We also provide support to like-minded personnel on their journey through recovery.

My PTSD:

Alex was born in 2008. During this time, my wife and I faced a myriad of marital issues and almost split-up. I was finally diagnosed with PTSD in early 2010, almost 9 years after my exposure to the horrendous aftermath of 9/11. I attribute my ego and the stigma surrounding PTSD as to why it took so long to realize I had a problem. I was medically retired in April of 2010 and began my new job in September of 2010, 6-weeks after the birth of my second son J.T. 

About Pop:

Name: Pop

Breed: Lab Mix

Pop is a 2 year old male lab mix. He was rescued and brought in for an evaluation. Pop gets his name from his tendency to spring into the air off all fours in his kennel.