The sole reason why I serve this country is for the terrorist attacks that happened 17
years ago this past Tuesday, September 11th, 2001.
As a 9th grader, 15-year-old at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky,
I felt like it was my mission in life to serve this country to fight.
You know, in life we’re all brought on this earth to serve in some capacity.
Something greater than yourself.
So nearly exactly 5 years later in 2006, I boarded a plane, headed to an unknown location
in Iraq.
We didn’t know where we were going, but we walked into a hostile area where many Marines
were wounded.
23 marines ended up giving their last breath in Iraq.
On January 18th, 2007, on a roadside IED patrol, I stepped in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
The bomb exploded underneath me, and my life went from light to dark in a matter of seconds.
You know, at the age of 20, at the early age of 20, I felt with a lot of adversity, and
I was going to deal with a lot of that adversity for the rest of my life.
These past 11 years have been truly amazing for me.
I get to do some pretty amazing things, and I get to share it along with my wife and three
wonderful kids.
You know some of the things I’ve learned in the military and also through my rehab
is to adapt and overcome, to lead by example, and to never quit.
Those three qualities in my life have pushed me and guided me through my life no matter
what obstacle lies in my way.
In 2012, I sat down with my wife.
We were getting out of the Marine Corps, closing a chapter and starting a new chapter.
My goal for the entirety of my life was to attend this university right here, and I truly
love this university.
I would give anything for this university.
For the professors here at this university who have guided, who have instructed, kind-hearted,
and taught me along the way.
And to the Veterans Resource Center, under the command of Tony Dodson.
But especially the Veterans Resource Center.
If it wasn’t for the VRC and Tony Dodson, I would not have walked across that stage
last May.
For what the VRC and for what Tony did for me, and what he did to kind of ease the stress.
He provided work studies to pick me up and to wait for me.
The VRC provided me a place to study, to conversate with other veterans, to be around my brothers
and my sisters.
The one important thing for a university is to put the appropriate people in the right
situations, such as Tony.
A veteran serving veterans and also serving veterans to take that to the higher ups to
ask for more because truly veterans, they are unique, but they are very helpful, they’re
impactful.
They share a lot of great qualities that they learned in the military.
From real-world experiences, to leadership skills, to being a mentor, to being a role
model and for people to that the younger generation, the 18, 19-year olds can look up to and can
inspire to emulate.
Veterans are very important for any successful business, for any successful university.
The university of Kentucky, as I’ve said, means the world to me.
Growing up in Winchester, I looked at UK as this is an athletic basketball, football.
I was a fan because I never possibly imagined that I would attend this university.
From the determination, the push, the drive of my wife, and for Tony Dotson, they made
that life-long dream a reality as graduating from this university and it’s something
that I hold very close to my heart.
The one thing that I’ve always done these past 11 years is just put my head down and
go to work.
Put one step in front of the other.
You know there are many titles that I hold each and every day, a father, a husband, a
veteran, a United States marine, an alumni of the University of Kentucky and those last
two are the two that mean the world to me.
For this university to be successful, we’ve got to be transparent and we’ve got to continue
doing what we do to make the future better, better than today and a lot better than yesterday.
We’ve got to look towards the future and keep putting that foot forward.
You know, as I did in the military, you know I lived with a purpose and I live with a purpose
now.
You know the title I get to hold for the rest of my life is a United States marine and as
a Kentucky Wildcat.
And you’ve got to stand up and you’ve got to fight for things that you truly believe
in.
And this University, to be successful in the future you got to stand up and fight for what
they believe in.
And I believe in this university and I will be here to support it no matter what.
Thank you very much.