• Branch of service: Army National Guard
  • Highest Rank: SGT
  • Location(s) of service: Wilmington, Delaware with 287th Army Band
  • What is your job title at Mountaire Farms? Retail Sales Manager
  • When did you join Mountaire? 2009
  • What motivated you to join the military? I joined the military with my high school buddy to pursue education.
  • Why did you choose the service branch you joined? I chose the National Guard because I could have a lot of the same benefits as Active Duty without having to be far from home.
  • Did you earn any medals or honors during your service? If so, which ones and for what? I have earned two Army Achievement medals for Exceptional Service during annual training as a member of Mission Performance team Delta, and seven Delaware Physical Fitness Ribbons for scoring over 250 points on my Army Physical Fitness Test. I also have my Drivers Badge for having over 12,000 miles of safe driving while transporting my unit to and from their missions.
  • What was the most valuable lesson you learned? I have learned how to function as a member of a team to complete tasks thought impossible. Whether it is coming together to learn a new song for a performance or storyboarding for our upcoming virtual Christmas concert, teamwork is essential and critical in my line of work. It helps me both in the Guard and at Mountaire.
  • What was the best and worst “military food” you were served? The worst food I have ever had was the Beef with Barbecue sauce that was not a normal Meal Ready to Eat. We had it while on FTX at Fort Dix. Slumming it.
  • Tell us about a funny, poignant, or moving story you experienced during your service. Funny story – well funny after the fact. I have been to Basic Training twice. I went during the summer of my junior/senior year in high school and two weeks into Basic, not even out of Blue Phase, the Army Liaison comes and gets me and tells me I’m going home. Apparently my recruiter cared about me and forgot to mention I wouldn’t be done Basic in time to be able to get credit for my senior year. So went back to school, graduated and did the full Basic that summer.
  • Tell us an interesting fact about yourself. I can play tuba, bass guitar, trumpet, euphonium, baritone, trombone and was in a cover band for over 10 years.