My Story

I grew up in Luther, Michigan, in a family that believed in serving our country. Three of my older brothers served during the Vietnam era, and from the time I was young, I knew I wanted to wear the uniform myself.

After getting married in 1986, I joined the United States Army and began what would become more than two decades of military service, including active duty and later service in the Michigan Army National Guard. Along the way, my wife and I raised two daughters while moving from duty station to duty station across the country and overseas. I was proud to serve, eventually retiring as a Sergeant First Class (E-7).

Like many veterans, however, my hardest battles didn't happen while wearing the uniform.

During my second deployment to Iraq in 2009, I suffered an injury that left me living with severe chronic pain. Surgery did not solve the problem, and I was prescribed increasing amounts of pain medication. Before long, I found myself dependent on those medications. When the prescriptions suddenly stopped, I experienced painful withdrawal, depression, and thoughts that no veteran should ever have to face alone.

When I finally returned home, the challenges continued. I was medically retired from the Army in 2012 while taking multiple medications for pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep. Soon afterward, I began suffering blackout seizures that eventually forced me into an early medical retirement from my civilian career with the United States Postal Service.

For years, I felt as though I had lost everything I had worked so hard to build.

Then came the turning point.

A civilian neurologist encouraged me to seek a second opinion. After extensive testing, doctors determined that many of my symptoms were not caused by epilepsy but by a combination of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, extreme stress, and the powerful medications I had been prescribed. That diagnosis changed my life. It didn't erase the pain, but it gave me the opportunity to begin rebuilding.

As my health slowly improved, I returned to college, studied web design, regained my driver's license, and eventually purchased the Luther Grocery Store. Just as the business was thriving, tragedy struck again when the store was destroyed by fire in 2022.

Life had knocked me down more than once.

But each setback strengthened my belief that giving up was never an option.

Throughout those years, I found myself talking with other veterans who were fighting battles much like my own. Chronic pain. Illness. Financial hardship. PTSD. Depression. The feeling that no one truly understood.

Again and again, I came back to the same question:

What if there were a place where veterans and their families could simply slow down, reconnect, and enjoy life together?

That idea eventually became Northern Michigan Veterans Haven.

Together with a dedicated group of fellow veterans, we founded Northern Michigan Veterans Haven with one simple mission: to create a peaceful destination where veterans and their families can reconnect with each other, enjoy Northern Michigan's natural beauty, and create lasting memories together.

Today, we are still in the early stages of making that vision a reality. We have earned our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, assembled a dedicated team, and begun building support throughout our community. Whether our future includes restoring an existing lodge like Rockwell Lake Lodge or building a retreat from the ground up, our commitment remains the same.

I know what it feels like to believe you've reached the end of the road.

I also know what it feels like to find hope again.

That is why I believe so deeply in this mission. 

Every challenge I've faced—from combat deployments and chronic pain to addiction, seizures, losing my career, and rebuilding my life—has led me to this mission.

Northern Michigan Veterans Haven isn't simply another nonprofit to me. It's my promise that no veteran or family should have to face life's toughest battles alone.

As long as I'm able, I'll continue working to build a place where veterans can reconnect, families can create lasting memories, and future generations will always know they have a place to call home.