Hello friend, family member, or random person that just happened to stumble upon my blog!
I'm stoked you've decided to check out my blog and learn a little about me. My goal is to be completely transparent and allow you to discover who I really am (trust me, I'm working on it, too). I intend to write a short "About me"….but for those that know me, ya'll know that I am not short winded at all, so here goes:
I was born in July 1986 to a wonderful and godly couple who were pastors in Oregon. Upon my birth, we packed up our stuff and moved to Pocatello Idaho where my father began pastoring another church. After living there for about 2 years, my father received an offer to pastor a small church in Hawaii! I know right?! Idaho to Hawaii!? Crazy. Anyway, we moved to Hawaii. And besides my brother I was absolutely certain that I was the only white kid on the Island. Okay that's not 100% true, but it sure did feel like it at times.
As a little boy I guess I did what most boys did, especially most pastors kids….I got in trouble. A LOT of trouble, I was the class clown, I was always in trouble at private school, I got kicked out of church camp,and I even got kicked out of childrens church(imagine being escorted into the main service while your dad is preaching! ha ha).Okay we'll stop there… I was a lot of fun I think, but I let my mouth and actions get me into a lot of trouble something I've since learned the hard way.
As a boy one thing in life that really intrigued me was the military. After watching Top Gun and visiting Pearl Harbor the first time, I prayed for the sailors and Marines who were killed on that fateful day. Eventually this love of the military equated to a desire to one day become a United States Marine. During my 7th grade year I was able to participate in JJROTC(Junior Junior Reserve Officer Training Course) and we took a field trip to the Kaneohe Marine Base on November 10th for the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration. That day forever changed my life, and I knew then what I wanted to eventually do with my life.
I was also involved with band(so cool right…?) and after fighting with the teacher to play the snare drum I got stuck with the trombone. To me he might as well have given me a flute!! But I went with it, and still having a desire to drum, I would go into the sanctuary at our church, turn on some worship music, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach me. I loved those days after school. One thing I need to add here, since we lived in the pasonage behind the church we always had guests stay with us. I seemed to always offer my room to our visitors and I began sleeping on the living room floor. To this day I still sleep on the floor, not 100% sure why, but I’ve never liked beds and still don’t.
At the time my dad was the overseer of the Hawaiian Islands and a Bishop in our congregation. His term of service was over and they were electing a new overseer, my family decided to move back to Idaho and help my father's twin brother start his trailer business(like ATV’s and snow machine trailers). We didn’t have a lot of money, and lived and worked out of a small RV, but we were blessed. I learned a lot in my childhood about hard work and getting by with what God has blessed you with and I developed a strong work ethic at a young age due to my parents dedication and determination.
It was in these high school years that my faith begin to dwindle. I was involved in football and wrestling, and I was good at both. But one day in high school an older student asked me if I ever smoked Marijuana, and to keep from looking uncool I told him “Of course, I do it all the time.” Having an addictive personality, this ultimately lead to a party lifestyle in high school. Although a standout wrestler and football player, I allowed addictions to get in the way. My high school wrestling coach Travis Bell wouldn’t let me quit wrestling, and he never gave up encouraging me to stick to it. Thankfully I continued to wrestle which kept me out of getting in more trouble.
Having always desired to be a United States Marine, and with the complete support of my parents, I enlisted on my 17th birthday, and I left for boot camp a year later after completing my senior year. I turned 18 a few weeks into boot camp, and a few months later, I became a United States Marine. It was fall 2004 and after the School of Infantry, I quickly found myself with orders to the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines of Twenty Nine Palms(The Stumps) California, as well as orders to Fallujah, Iraq. (Let me just pause here and say that 3rdBN 4thMAR is one of the most decorated combat units in recent history and they were the first ones to Baghdad during the initial invasion of Iraq, and my first squad leader{Smith} and team leader{Cameron} were standing in the square when Saddam's statue came down. As a combined unit 3rd BN 4th MAR has completed 5 combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom(OIF), and is headed on their 3rd in support of Operation Enduring Freedom(OEF). Semper Fidelis and God speed brothers! Rah!)
It was during this first deployment that I realized the reality of war, and God spared my life and lives in my squad when an IED(Improvised Explosive Device) blew up within 15 feet of me. The blast blew me 15ft away and flipped me around 180 degrees but thankfully did no damage but a small welt on my back. Although I wasn’t serving God at the time I reckon I still thanked Him that day.
After returning to the United States I began to train to be either a Marine Scout Sniper, or go to Recon. Having been volunteered to push papers in the company office, I knew this was my only way out. After hazing(training) myself twice a day for a few weeks, I came to work with a note on my desk: “Sniper open house friday, indoc on monday, show up if you are interested”. Of course I was interested! I had read “One shot One kill” after receiving it from my dad as a Christmas gift, and who doesn’t want to be Carlos Hathcock. Although I was excited to have a one in a lifetime shot, I drug my buddy Fox with me, and on that fateful monday 19 year olds Fox and Frasure were in a completely different word. All I can say is sleep deprivation, physical pain, and misery are the best way to describe that week. To this day, that has been the hardest week of my life.
(Fox and I, not during Indoc)
(Fox and I Iraq, not during Indoc)
Within a few months of completing the indoc, I was sent to sniper school in…yep you guessed it, Kaneohe, Hawaii! Where it all begin. Funny how God works 🙂 After 10 weeks of misery, I became a school trained United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper.
(I am on the top far right)
And after returning to my unit I found myself again headed to Iraq, but this time in a different role. This deployment was a lot different too. We were tasked with the largest Area of Operations(AO) in Iraq and the insurgents weren’t giving up or giving in. IED’s were everywhere and when we decided as a sniper platoon to have a vehicle for each team and conduct our own convoys, I knew one day we’d get hit. On February 16th 2007 that became a reality as an IED ripped through our truck from beneath my legs. I was the gunner that day, and the IED blew up right under the driver(Dylan). 
After coming to conscious and crawling out of the truck, I saw Dylans lifeless body hanging from the steering wheel outside the truck. I remembering thinking in my mind “He’s dead, find a gun” but thankfully he started to moan and we drug him away from the truck. I applied a tourniquet and gave him an IV and Dan my team leader applied a tourniquet to his other leg. Tony and Dondo kept him composed and helped us load him on the medevac helicopter. Dylan lived, but all of our lives changed that day.
(I'm on the right, Dan's in the middle, and Dondo's on the left)
After that deployment, all of my seniors left the platoon and left the Marine Corps. Being the most senior school trained scout sniper I took on the role as the Chief Scout and along with Fox, Greco, Wayman, Huskey, and a few other Marines, we created a new platoon. I extended my enlisted contract and deployed to Iraq once again with full intentions to re-enlist. I had an amazing team, Blair, Cona, Tollefson, and Sampson.
But having become bitter and disgusted with the Marine Corps, I decided to get out and pursue a career as a Private Military Contractor. After becoming a Designated Defensive Marksman for the Department of State, I once again found myself in Iraq.
The money was good, but my childhood problems got the best of me and between saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time and the overuse of alcohol, I found myself without a job. Returning home I dove back into my old Marine Corps post deployment habit. Alcohol, a lot of alcohol. A buddy from the company I worked with swung down and picked me up in my hometown of Pocatello and drug me up to Boise. This event drastically changed my life. After partying it up in Boise, and drunk driving home without remembering it, I decided to quit drinking. Once I did that I begin to get a clear view of life, my life in particular. On New Years night of 2008-2009, half way to a party I hear the Holy Spirit beckon me to go home and start the year off different for once. So I went home and googled communion scriptures and with pita bread and orange juice I committed that year to God.
What a year it was! 2009, I got saved, baptised, started my first semester at Boise State and I became so hungry for God that I was going to numerous churches a week, and small groups. I even tried starting my own small group through http:/www.iamsecond.com but God had other plans. In the summer of 2009 I got involved with an amazing college church called Generation Church Downtown. Over 100 college students met in a basement on the Boise State campus, and the Holy Spirit brought the house down every thursday night. Pastor Mark Francey brought the Word of God, and I learned A LOT. I wanted to learn everything I possibly could from him, so I got involved with the internship at Capital Christian Center. Well it was more like they asked me the night before if I was interested and I showed up the next morning and quit my job. Anyway I learned a lot in that year, but I felt like I needed back in the fight, I needed to be a gunslinger again.
In May of 2011 I accepted the position as the Chief Scout Sniper of the 4th Anti-Terrorism Battalion in Reno, NV.
(Vincent my Marine brother and brother in Christ, Holt, and yours truly at our Annual Training last August in Amarillo, TX)
I also got a job with Dylan(same one from the IED) at a Marine base there on the California/Nevada border.
(Dylan and I rabbit hunting, Nevada 2011)
Dylan was given the opportunity to go on a wounded warrior Elk hunt on a private ranch with 3 private guides. They asked if he wanted to bring someone, so I was able to go with him as his spotter!! Leupold also graciously gave me a spotting scop and Henry gave me a Golden Boy(Thanks guys!) On the second day of hunting Dylan and I crawled up on this heard and he dropped this bad boy we saw over 30 bulls, and hundreds of cows during the hunt.
In January of this year, January 1st to be exact my life changed once again(It’s reoccuring I know, it really is a gift that I embrace though). I met a beautiful girl on Christian Mingle and we hit it off right away. After 2 trips out to visit her in Georgia, I decided that I wanted to date her more seriously, so I packed up all my stuff and hit the road. I also decided to leave the Marine Corps again(hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life), but I figured it’d be best to stay close to the new woman in my life and I always decided if I was going to start a family then I should do it outside of the Marine Corps.
Although this relationship was with one of the better woman I’ve dated, God had other plans, and the closer we grew to each other, the further we grew apart. So we split up… And as sad as that is, I am still finishing remodeling her salon because I've learned that you finish what you start, and I’ve also since focused my attention on my first love, Jesus. My hunger for God began t grow again, but this time in epic proportions, and I started getting back into the Word of God in depth.
So where am I at now? Good question, I’ve been accepted for The World Race. How I heard about it, I’ll tell you about that in a seperate blog. But since I’ve been accepted God has begun to show me in so many ways that He’s still in control and tonight I can't help but be in awe. I posted this on my facebook tonight after writting most of this blog:
"Looking back at my life I am in complete and utter shock at the things God has allowed me to do. Up to this point in my life I have been given so many opportunities and had chances to succeed in so many things from sports to living out my childhood dream as a United States Marine. It's moments like these that I sit back and wonder what God has in store for the rest of my life, and although I am excited for whats next, I could die tonight having lived a wonderful life."
God continues to amaze me. I moved to the middle of nowhere Georgia for a girl and it didn’t work out, BUT my training is in October, and it’s in the middle of nowhere Georgia 1 hour from my house…Ironic. So what’s next? Well I am selling and giving away practically everything I own. And I am going on a HUGE road trip across the US from Georgia to Idaho and possibly even further west. I need to start raising funds for The World Race as it is going to cost me nearly $20,000 total. But I’m learning more and more each day how to trust in God and live my life in such a way that is pleasing to Him. Someday I want to look back at my life and see all the times I took leaps of faith and God caught me. I believe faith isn’t jumping and hoping God will catch you, it’s leaping and knowing He will.
I leave ya'll with this scripture you may have heard it:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that woever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17
