After the Corps, I moved back to Louisville and went to college at Bellarmine University where I majored in Elementary & Special Education. It was here I found God once again and even considered a religious life as a Jesuit. The Lord did not have this path in mind for me at the time. I went on to marry Paige Collins in 1996. We had our first son in 1997 and the next in 1998. I graduated from college in 1998 too. During college, in my free time I completed my Microsoft Certified Engineer certification. Ironically, it was teaching Microsoft engineering products that would be my out of college career. I worked in DC at a Microsoft Training Center until the summer of 1999. In June 1999, I started working for Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.
Other Comments:
In 2002, my USMC injuries started to be aggravated again. I would go on fighting these injuries everyday. In 2008, these injuries became so bad that after 16 years of fending off the surgical knife, I finally gave in. The surgery went well but post surgical complications resulted in the surgery leaving me worse off then what I started with. This led to my medical retirement from Microsoft in 2010 at age 37.
This early retirement has left me confined to my recliner for the most part. My legs and feet are in a constant state of nerve pain. My back is sore and general movement is painful.
Given this early retirement, I have dedicated my energies to God, family and to helping my fellow Veterans. I am an active member of the Leathernecks MC and serve as the local chaplain. I am also a lifetime member of the DAV and member at large of the Marine Corps League.
When possible I have been taking courses through Liberty University for completion of a Masters of Divinity.
2009, Marine Air Traffic Control Association (MATCA)
