It has been a circuitous path thus far.  I was born and raised in Arkansas, graduated high school in Mississippi and then joined the Marine Corps in 1989.

Desert Storm and five more years in the Marines and then I got out of the military.  I did some college in Arkansas, then Houston, and then in 2000 I gave most of my things to a women’s shelter and moved ‘up north’.  Without any clear destination in mind I ended up in Eugene, Oregon. 

In Eugene I read philosophy, wrote poetry, hiked in mountains, and really began to explore the depths of my Self.  in 2004 I withdrew from college and joined the Oregon National Guard and deployed to Iraq.

After Iraq, and then duty in post Katrina New Orleans, I started college again at Portland State where I am finishing a B.S. in both Psychology and Philosophy.

Before Iraq I loved psychology for the science and mystery and discovery of it all.  I was uncertain what area of psychology I wanted to study, whether I/O or Social.  Yet after Iraq I’ve undergone two years of therapy and have started traveling around the region giving presentations and lectures about PTSD from a veteran’s perspective. 

There is a lot of help out there for veterans, however stigma is a major obstacle for veterans.  That’s where I come in.  I’ve finished two degrees from Portland State and am working on a book tying together philosophy, psychology, military culture, into something that (I hope) will make an impact. 

I work as a co-facilitator for a veteran domestic violence group, teach infantry for the Oregon National Guard, do a little military cultural consulting for the Psychiatric Department at OHSU, and am currently looking into the next step of grad school.