I was born in rural Arkansas in 1950 and graduated from Danville High School in 1968. I joined the US Army in 1968 and served until 1 July 1998, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. After retiring from the army I worked for GEICO as a Zone Sales Manager for the US States west of the Rocky Mountains for five years then as a Manager in the GEICO Military Department for 14 years. I retired from GEICO in July 2017. I live in northern Virginia with my wife of more than 35 years