I never know where to start when i write something like this online. I'll just start with a little about myself. I'm 29 (for a couple more weeks), live in Cedar Park, Texas, and am going to school online at Grand Canyon University for Christian Studies with an emphasis on Ministry. I think I'll be headed to the Dallas Theological Seminary extension campus here in Austin next, but that's in God's hands. After years of walking to the beat of my own drum, I've figured out he's a better drummer!
A little history is a good place to start. I graduated from Duncanville High School in 1998 after being a Trombone player in the Band, a Photographer for the publications, and earning my Eagle Scout. I joined the Army in 2000 as a Combat Medic and was assigned to the 326th Engineer Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. I served as the Senior Medic for A Co 326 En in Iraq from February 2003 through February of 2004. After leaving Active duty in May, I moved to Lubbock and went to school for EMS. I moved back to Dallas in 2006 and I worked as an EMT in the civilian side until 2007, when after being diagnosed with PTSD, I realized I had difficulty separating myself emotionally from my patients. I returned to school for Theatre Arts. and almost finished my Bachelors when I realized I was in the wrong field. I have now returned to work towards my degree in ministry and am trying to enter into outreach, though where that will take me is anyone's guess.
The biggest thing that I can mention is my marriage to Laura. We met in 2006 and left the US for Scotland to be wed 1 year exactly from our first date. We were married by Terry Boyle in Airth Castle, near Falkirk, on 11/11/2007 and will always have a celebration on Veterans Day even as I remember my fallen brothers. There's plenty more I can tell you about her, and i will, though for now I will say good bye.
I hope you walk with God in all your steps, for through him, you can accomplish anything!
Showing posts with label bio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bio. Show all posts
13 November 2009
So I've finally started a blog.
This was supposed to be my first post(but I lost it and just found it!) So here it is in all it's glory...
A lot of you have told me I should do this, as it seems I always have something to say.
But, right now it seems that I can't think of a thing I want to say. I could talk about the Islamic Extremist that killed 13 servicemen at Ft Hood, but that's not really a topic I want to share my feelings about. I could talk about the Health Care reform Act and the fact that it really only addresses taking money away from those providing the best health care in the world, not from the companies refusing to pay for that health care. I could even talk about the growing number of dissatisfied veterans being refused service connection for illnesses and injuries that could be caused by nothing else but the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But, then I'd have to talk about the Army's refusal to recognize PTSD as a genuine and disabling disorder caused by a failure to prepare soldiers emotionally for the horrors of combat, and I really don't want to get into that.
So for now I'll just leave you with a bit about myself. Most of you know I'm a proud Texan, but did you also know I'm a proud member of the Clan Macduff? My family left Scotland during colonial times and were represented in every major conflict America has ever been part of. We were in the Revolution, both sides of the Civil War, WWII (I'm not 100% sure of WWI due to ages, but my grandfather was in a war critical industry contributing to the effort.), Vietnam Era, And The War on Terrorism (Iraq is really a continuation of Gulf Storm, ask me about it and I'll explain) I'm a proud veteran of the 101st Airborne A/Co 326th Engineers and proud to say, one of the few Medics to have ever graduated Sapper Leader Course when I went through in 2002. I've been out of the Army since June of 2009(Reserves since 2004) and am now back in school. I went to school for EMS for a bit, then theatre, but now I'm in for Christian Studies, and I'm planning on going on to Seminary for a ThM or maybe a Doctorate of Theology, not sure on that yet. God has been calling me to some kind of outreach recently, though I'm not sure what kind. I'm looking into mission work here and abroad.
Abroad...It's funny to say that. When I got back to Texas after Iraq, I said I would never willingly leave for anything other than a vacation again, and now I'm considering the possibility of Laura and I going to Wales for a year!
Oh, I haven't even told you about Laura yet. Laura is my beautiful wife. We met Halloween 2006 at Reindeer Manor Haunted House, where I was helping Boy Scout Troop 1 as an Actor. I was working the crowd with Dale ( a buddy from scouts) and saw her. I walked by several times, never pausing, but always noticing. After conferring with Dale, we grabbed her from the crowd and buried her in a grave in the Graveyard. After talking to her for a few minutes, I returned her to her family and asked her to let me know what they thought of the show after they finished.
About 45 minutes later, I looked up and there she was leaning up against the Graveyard fence with her niece. I used a corny line about her coming back out the next year and hoping I could see her before then. I then got her number and the rule breaking started. I called her on the way home that night, just after midnight and started talking. It took me a week to get her to agree to go on a date with me. Then 5 months to convince her I wasn't to young for her (Don't tell her I said this, but she's got 6 years on me :-P ) before I could convince her to marry me. We got engaged in March on in the Harley Davidson shop on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Left for Scotland to get married November 6th of 2007, exactly one year after our first date. We were wed by Terry Boyle in Airth Castle (just outside of Falkirk) on 11/11/2007 and have been happily married since.
A lot of you have told me I should do this, as it seems I always have something to say.
But, right now it seems that I can't think of a thing I want to say. I could talk about the Islamic Extremist that killed 13 servicemen at Ft Hood, but that's not really a topic I want to share my feelings about. I could talk about the Health Care reform Act and the fact that it really only addresses taking money away from those providing the best health care in the world, not from the companies refusing to pay for that health care. I could even talk about the growing number of dissatisfied veterans being refused service connection for illnesses and injuries that could be caused by nothing else but the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But, then I'd have to talk about the Army's refusal to recognize PTSD as a genuine and disabling disorder caused by a failure to prepare soldiers emotionally for the horrors of combat, and I really don't want to get into that.
So for now I'll just leave you with a bit about myself. Most of you know I'm a proud Texan, but did you also know I'm a proud member of the Clan Macduff? My family left Scotland during colonial times and were represented in every major conflict America has ever been part of. We were in the Revolution, both sides of the Civil War, WWII (I'm not 100% sure of WWI due to ages, but my grandfather was in a war critical industry contributing to the effort.), Vietnam Era, And The War on Terrorism (Iraq is really a continuation of Gulf Storm, ask me about it and I'll explain) I'm a proud veteran of the 101st Airborne A/Co 326th Engineers and proud to say, one of the few Medics to have ever graduated Sapper Leader Course when I went through in 2002. I've been out of the Army since June of 2009(Reserves since 2004) and am now back in school. I went to school for EMS for a bit, then theatre, but now I'm in for Christian Studies, and I'm planning on going on to Seminary for a ThM or maybe a Doctorate of Theology, not sure on that yet. God has been calling me to some kind of outreach recently, though I'm not sure what kind. I'm looking into mission work here and abroad.
Abroad...It's funny to say that. When I got back to Texas after Iraq, I said I would never willingly leave for anything other than a vacation again, and now I'm considering the possibility of Laura and I going to Wales for a year!
Oh, I haven't even told you about Laura yet. Laura is my beautiful wife. We met Halloween 2006 at Reindeer Manor Haunted House, where I was helping Boy Scout Troop 1 as an Actor. I was working the crowd with Dale ( a buddy from scouts) and saw her. I walked by several times, never pausing, but always noticing. After conferring with Dale, we grabbed her from the crowd and buried her in a grave in the Graveyard. After talking to her for a few minutes, I returned her to her family and asked her to let me know what they thought of the show after they finished.
About 45 minutes later, I looked up and there she was leaning up against the Graveyard fence with her niece. I used a corny line about her coming back out the next year and hoping I could see her before then. I then got her number and the rule breaking started. I called her on the way home that night, just after midnight and started talking. It took me a week to get her to agree to go on a date with me. Then 5 months to convince her I wasn't to young for her (Don't tell her I said this, but she's got 6 years on me :-P ) before I could convince her to marry me. We got engaged in March on in the Harley Davidson shop on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Left for Scotland to get married November 6th of 2007, exactly one year after our first date. We were wed by Terry Boyle in Airth Castle (just outside of Falkirk) on 11/11/2007 and have been happily married since.
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Just who is this guy?
- Paul
- Whoa, I didn't know his box existed! I could say a million things here, or you can read my first 2 posts to get a good idea of who I am and what I'm about.