I plan to represent you in the United States House of Representatives, so here is a little about me.
I was born in Farmington, MO in 1973. We moved around a lot when I was a child, mostly because of my parents being in the Army. I spent time in Germany and Colorado, but we always ended up back in Missouri where we belong. I spent some time in Bismarck and Park Hills schools, and we settled in Farmington just in time for me to start 7th grade. I graduated from Farmington High School in 1992.
Two short weeks after graduation, I was off to US Navy boot camp in San Diego. I spent four years serving in the US Navy from 1992 to 1996. During my time in the Navy, I performed maintenance on F-14 and F/A-18 fighter jet avionics systems. I learned how to work on radar, radios, and weapon systems, and I learned some other very important lessons.
While all of my fellow sailors came from very different backgrounds and geographic locations, we worked together as a unit to get the job done no matter the situation. The Navy also built on some very important lessons that my parents taught me. Lessons about honesty and integrity. Lessons about how your reputation is to be guarded at all cost, because it is one of the few things that, once tarnished, is very hard to get back. I learned lessons about honor and the value of doing the right thing even when no one else is around. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but those are the things that you learn while serving in the military.
After the Navy, I worked for several companies, including Jet Corp in Chesterfield, Trans World Express, and Lockheed Martin. Over a three year period from 1997 to 1999, I traveled to states all over this great nation of ours working on airplanes and observing the different customs and governmental systems in the towns and cities I visited. I learned quickly that while the people in New York and California may make a bit of a higher salary than I did in Missouri, the cost of living was so high they could barely live.
In 1999, I was working on the S-3 Viking aircraft at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL when I met the woman that is absolutely perfect for me, Jennifer Brown. We met in a Sunday school class at First Baptist Church of Orange Park, FL and I knew instantly that there was a connection. Nine months later, we were engaged.
We moved to St. Louis shortly after we were married so I could start my career at Boeing. I can proudly say that I have been supporting the warfighter at Boeing for the last 23 years. My time at Boeing has taken me to California from 2001 to 2003, and Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA from 2011 to 2016, but Missouri has always called me home. It was a great honor to serve the US Navy in a direct support role in both places, especially during my time in Virginia, but it was good to finally make it home again in 2016.
We moved to DeSoto upon our return to Missouri, and has become clear to us that it was a wise decision. We have been welcomed as family in this community. Our church home is First Baptist Church of DeSoto, where we have been attending since we got here. Our two sons and our daughter have also been involved in Little League, where I have coached several teams.
One common thread throughout my life over the last 20 years or so is my relationship with Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, and though my walk with Christ has not been perfect, I have learned to follow more diligently as the years go by. I am an imperfect man with many flaws, but as I learn to be more obedient to God and his son Jesus Christ, I hope to lessen the impact of those flaws on my life.
I hesitated to include my relationship with Christ in by bio, because I did not want people to think that I am using my religion to garner votes. I eventually decided to put it in because it is who I am and I think voters need a full picture of who a person is. I also thought that by leaving it out it would be as if I was denying my relationship with Christ, which is of utmost importance to me.
The experiences I have had as a sailor, in business, and as a man have shaped who I am as a person. I hope they have given me the wisdom to serve the constituents of the 3rd district if I am lucky enough to represent you.