I grew up in the blue collar town of Monroe, Michigan. My father was crippled by TB during WWII and worked at Fords, and my mother was a cafeteria worker at school. As a kid we had no running water, and had a hand pump in the kitchen sink and an outhouse. I wanted to go to college and become a lawyer, but my guidance counselor said no, but to work at Fords like my father. The way out of town was the military,, so after i graduated from high school, I enlisted in the Air Force, and volunteered for Vietnam.  That is how I got to Alaska!, the Aleutians no less. My last assignment was Loring AFB, Maine. I was honorably discharged in 75, and decided to stay in Northern Maine and work for the Department of Defense. It was here that I met my wife, Renee.  We have  been married for over 34 years and have four children and three grandchildren.

 

      We moved to Lansing in 1980. I worked at Selfridge ANGB for two years. After that, I attended LCC under the GI Bill and recieved an Associates degree in Science, and worked several jobs to make ends meet. During this time I took a couple of political science courses that allowed me to work in the Capitol as a legislative aide to a state rep. I learned a lot about the process and about the way things really were.

 

      I was hired by the city of Lansing as a firefighter/ paramedic in 1984. Here, I experienced some unbelieveable things. Being a firefighter was more than just riding around in a big red truck. I rose through the ranks and I retired as a Battalion Chief in 2009. I have written a book about some of my experiences called Answeriing the Call.  Locally I work with Chef Benson and the "Into the Streets" feeding ministry, as well as driving school buses for various events. Over the years,I have been an assistant coach for both boys and girls high school basketball teams as well as serving on the school board at New Covenant Christian School.

 

      I have been with several teams of High School Seniors to work in Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, and the Caribbean island of Rum Cay.  I worked with the volunteer organization "Hands on Disaster Response" in Biloxi, MS after hurricane Katrina, and Cedar Rapids IA after the devatating floods of 07. I have been on several medical/ missionary trips with the "Jungle Medic" in Guatemala, Central America. In all of the disaster situations I have been to, the private sector was doing the vast majority of necessary work, without media coverage, or recognition except from the community they were serving.