• I'm 67 years old, in excellent health, married, Christian, 6 kids and 9 grand kids.

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• My family is well rooted in Apache county. We were among the very first to settle here in the mid-1860's. My great grandfather helped negotiate the deal for the land and establish what is now Alpine, AZ. My father was born in Eagar, my uncle and grandmother were both born in Alpine and all the rest of that part of the family was born just across the line in Luna, NM. I spent most of my childhood within 50 miles of Springerville so I have a genuine, personal interest in what happens in Apache county.

 

• I was born in Farmington, NM and raised there on a small ranch in the 60's & 70's where I was taught the respect, honesty, integrity and work ethic that was so strong in those days. I have lived or worked in 36 states and 8 countries and finally settled back in Arizona in 2011.

 

• In the years following high school, I traveled a lot following oilfield and heavy construction work. I eventually joined the U.S. Army in 1982 and traveled even more. I learned a lot in the Army and by the time I got out,  I had a little different outlook on life inasmuch as I became more politically active and had a much better understanding of the constitution that I had taken an oath to uphold, which, by the way, has not expired or been revoked. I held supervisory and management positions in virtually every field that I entered, including the military.

 

• After receiving two honorable discharges, one from the Army and one from the Army National Guard, I spent some time in Idaho and Wyoming where, among other things, I became a nationally certified firearms instructor. I eventually wound up back in NM where I had a combined firearms training/ horseback riding business for a few years. A divorce brought that to an end so, in 2002, I went back to Farmington and purchased a popular gun shop which I operated for the next 13 years.

 

• In 2014, I have gradually phased out the retail portion of the gun shop and devoted my time almost exclusively to advanced firearms training which I am still involved in.