After graduating from high school in 1965, I worked as a hospital orderly at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Shortly after my 18th birthday I moved to Ventura, California and took a job with the Ventura County Hospital as an orderly and assistant psychiatric technician. I believe these early work experiences helped me prepare for my time in the military.
After about a year, I returned to Portland, Oregon and soon after that I was inducted into the U.S. Army and went to Ft. Lewis, in Washington for basic training and following basic, went to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas for advanced individual training (AIT), to become a medic. Following AIT and a short visit home, I was sent to Vietnam as a combat medic.
I spent my tour, in 1968, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a combat medic with the 52nd Combat Aviation Battalion and 755th Assault Helicopter Company in Pleiku and Ban Me Thuot, 8th Field Hospital. After my tour of duty in Vietnam, I returned to Ft. Sam for the rest of my military career and honorably discharged as a Specialist 5 (E-5). I received the U.S. Army Commendation Medal with the "V" device for valor while as a combat medic in Vietnam.
In my civilian world, I graduated from college with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and then I became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I developed a CPA practice and then after 20 years retired. After a couple of years of retirement, I went to work for Providence Health and Services, a major hospital system on the West coast, ultimately, before my second and final retirement, 16 years later, as the hospitals Senior Internal Auditor and the Director for Audit and Compliance for the states of Washington and Montana.
During my career years, I was president of many civic organizations including Portland Junior Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Portland Commercial Club, and Portland Toastmasters, to mention a few. I have been active in the National Association of Medics and Corpsmen (NAMC) for more than 12 years, as Quartermaster, Executive Treasurer, Membership Director and I the Chief of Staff. In my retirement, my wife and I have moved from Oregon to Arizona. I enjoy travel, hiking, reading, and spending time with my family.