A Tradition of Honorable Service...

This is my nuclear family from left to right: Mom, Dad, Lj (little sister), Me, Bj big sister), and David (brother-in-law)

People often ask me why I want to join the military. I usually give them all kinds of reasons: great medical coverage, good financial security, exciting jobs, travel, patriotism. But what it comes down to is all of these things and none of these things. I view the service as a calling. A calling in my family that goes as far back as we have historical records. When people tell me how much they appreciate my willingness to serve, or that of my parents, it always catches me off guard. That noble profession that we all seem to have undertaken just seems like life to us. My parents get up, put on their business suits and go to work. They come home and have a family. I think that sometimes I take what they have dedicated their lives to for granted.

My father retired from the Navy in 2001. He served all over the world, including the First Gulf War and two tours in Antarctica.

My mother will retire from the Navy next year. She also served two tours in Antarctica.

My sister served for several years in the U.S. Air Force, but got out to raise her family.

Her husband is still in the Air Force and is currently stationed at Lackland AFB, Texas.

My mother's brother was a gunner on an Army armored vehicle during the First Gulf War.

My father's brother was in the Navy for 10 years.

My maternal grandfather was an Air Force officer.

My paternal grandfather was an Air Force military policeman. He served in Vietnam.

My mother's uncle was a bataan death march survivor.

My father's uncle was among the first wave on the beaches of Normandy.

They had to throw my maternal great grandfather out of the recruiting depot kicking and screaming because the would not let farmers serve in World War II. He stayed home and contributed on the home front, but he regretted it for the rest of his life.

My father's cousin served in Korea.

My cousin recently returned from his first tour in Iraq with the Air National Guard, and has volunteered for a second.

The majority of my male ancestors alive in the 1860s served as confederate soldiers in the war between the states.

A brother of one of my distant grandfathers served in the War of 1812.

Several of my distant grandfathers served in the U.S. Revolution.

There is a monument on the US Naval Academy campus to one of my distant grandfathers who went down with his ship, William Herndon.

You see? The males in my family that have served in the military comprise the majority. They all joined for different reasons, but they all found that they were called to duty. In no way did I feel pressured by my heritage to join the military, but with all of the red, white, and blue blood coursing through my veins... it was inevitable. It's the lifestyle I know and love. I genuinely believe it is what I was born to do.