I have a lot of new followers. First and foremost, I'd like to tell you all hello and thanks for the follow.
I'd like to also tell you a little about myself and my upbringing as a child.
I was raised by my grandma and great grandma when I was very young while my parents worked multiple jobs. Both of these women were the salt of the Earth. They would give to you while they themselves suffered.
For this post, I want to specifically highlight my Father as well as what led me into where I am today.
My Dad was a graduate of the Citadel and spent four years in the Air Force, and, by the time I was six years old, shortly after our dinner prayer, I would have to sit at the dinner table and "present" my food. This literally involved collecting the food with your fork, raising it up, presenting it out in front of you, and saying "permission to eat, Sir." This is something he learned in the Citadel. Sounds strict, right? At the time, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. As I got older, I came to understand the respect he was teaching me, because it didn't end there.
He taught me to make my bed every morning, to keep my room tidy, to keep my effects in order, and - he always said I should carry a comb, a pocket knife, and a handkerchief - because you never know when either one of those might come in handy ๐ As I got older, he trained me on self defense, often showing me simple things like using the back-end of a glass to fight with. And, ultimately, how to shoot a firearm and the defensive steps to take to protect myself and my future family.
On the weekends, when I was a teenager, he would come into my bedroom at 6 AM and play a pretend bugle to wake me from bed. He'd then send out in the yard to cut the grass, pick up sticks, pull weeds, or do whatever he could find me to do outside to teach me discipline and structure. He also taught me how to spin a rifle in the air, Citadel-style.
My Father taught me how to give the proper handshake while looking someone in the eyes, how to have the proper manners at the dinner table (I don't still present my food, however, lol), how to do all car maintenance myself, and, overall, he taught me how to treat people. He taught me how to give respect to everyone, regardless of their social status, their age, their background, their race, etc. He taught me that hard work was important and that it paid off. He showed me this with his relentless efforts that he put into our family, getting up at 4 AM to go walk through blizzard conditions to get a plane ready for takeoff (he worked his ass off to get his flight hours to eventually become a pilot for a large commercial airliner which he retired from - alongside working as a firefighter at the same time - I honestly have no idea how he managed to do all of this outside of sheer dedication and discipline).
He instilled in me honor, courage, respect, and patriotism.
I was taught from a very early age to appreciate the freedom we have in America, and to appreciate all those who gave their lives so that we could be here today.
I am a believer in God, I am a believer in America, I am a believer in doing what is right, and I am a believer in repairing our broken system and getting America back on track to where it was during its glory days.
After seeing the decay of our freedoms over the last several years, it was time to 'FIGHT!', as Trump told us. I knew I needed to do this, but I didn't know what angle it would come from. I thought about ministering, honestly, and I still may pursue that one day. I love connecting with people and sharing the gospel.
On September 25th, a few days prior to Helene hitting, I began covering the storm heavily because I felt there was imminent danger to life. I never realized, during that time, how deep the rabbit hole would go, and how much corruption would truly exist with that storm and the response to it. It reminded me of what I witnessed with Maui, and what I saw in Katrina when I was in High School. Now, I am fully dedicated to exposing all of this - from every angle - and from every future disaster I fear we may face.
X has proven to be a beacon of hope for the internet world where it is full of censorship - and I applaud Elon for the acquisition of this company.
While this isn't my full life story (as I've been through so much tragedy, which one day, perhaps I'll share), it's a part of me that is engrained in ever fiber of my being, and that's why I wanted to share it with you all.
I look forward to continuing this journey with so many of you here who have, alongside me, pushed for change.
Thanks for reading. And, again, thanks for following. ๐บ๐ธ