In Response to the Negative Rhetoric

I am a 28 ½ year Army Veteran, having proudly served our Nation both as an enlisted man and as an officer. My career spanned the Infantry, Quartermaster, and Special Operations, with deployments in some of the most dangerous regions of the world.

I served during the Cold War, in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and in multiple tours in Afghanistan. I also put my life on the line in Colombia, fighting the drug and counter-terror wars.

In short, I’ve spent decades defending this nation so this cowardly ghostwriter and his financial backers under the perceived safety of their anonymity can spew hateful lies about mine and my wife’s service to this country and the men and women who do jobs most cannot and will not.

After being selected in 2000 for the elite Special Operations Civil Affairs community, I pursued a career bridging the gap between military and civilian governments. This was when I met my wife, a Russian language instructor at the time for Special Operations, and we started building a life together.

She has served this country tirelessly, not just supporting and training the Army’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) but also helping train U.S. Marines who were preparing to serve in the Republic of Georgia and later the State Department’s diplomats attending the Foreign Service Language Institute.

Together, we supported the men and women fighting for the freedoms that the “newsletter” ghost author and his/her PAC’s financial backers seem to take for granted at best and seek to demean at worst.

In 2014, I retired from the Army, but my battle was far from over as I was selected in 2016 as a Foreign Service Officer in USAID. During my first overseas posting in a small US Embassy in 2018, I was diagnosed with cancer. My wife, who had risen to lead major contracts supporting U.S. diplomacy, had to put her career aside to care for me during numerous surgeries, radiation treatments, and a long, painful recovery process.

The Ad Valorem domicile tax exemption wasn’t a “benefit” I desired nor did I ever gloat about; it was the reality of my service connected ailments earned over the course of nearly 30 years of service in uniform to our Nation.

In 2020, I was deemed 100% PERMANENTLY AND TOTALLY DISABLED by the VA - a grueling process no one who hasn’t endured it could ever fully understand (nor would I wish upon). My property tax exemption is a benefit not of entitlement, but of sacrifice—one I’d gladly trade to regain my health.

By 2021, my wife and I decided to leave Northern Virginia and relocate to Marco Island, searching for a community more aligned with our values. We’ve since dedicated ourselves to this community, joining the Collier County Republican Executive Committee and various veteran organizations like the VFW, American Legion, and AMVETS.

My wife has also been a strong advocate for children’s education, volunteering to support local schools and programs for establishing schools locally for children with autism. My wife religiously attends City Council meetings (has hardly missed any since 2021) and has diligently worked with groups and Marco citizens dedicated to monitoring and improving the quality of our waterways for a long time now.

We serve our country and community with honor and integrity. That’s who we are.

Those who are spreading these cowardly, defamatory lies about me, however, are hiding behind anonymity—but that anonymity will not protect them. They will be revealed, although shamefully none of the financial backers of the PAC backing the “2024 General Election Newsletter” to this point have distanced themselves from the libelous and defamatory content it spews.

The truth will come out, and those who have sought to defame this veteran and his family who’ve sacrificed health and time together in service to this country will receive their just rewards when they are revealed for all to know.

To those who truly know us, we have always been, and will always be, America First Patriots. We serve God, country, and the American people, defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We are unwavering in our commitment to our values and to our community.

God willing, when my wife wins her upcoming City Council election, she will continue to serve selflessly and to exhibit the leadership that Marco Island so badly needs and deserves. Just as we both have done for our entire adult lives. We will not be deterred by libelous lies nor defamation of our character. The truth is on our side, and soon enough, it will be clear for all to see.