Life throws us some serious curves and twists which indeed makes finding our way through these mazes of life interesting but if you stay focused on your task putting one foot in front of the other and remember your desired destination and the lessons you have learned in life on how to navigate there you will find your way to your objective no matter what obstacles get placed in your way!
The Hillbilly...
I am a disabled military veteran basically living off my disability up on Sand Mountain in Northeast Alabama roughly halfway between Huntsville, AL and Rome, GA.
In my civilian life I attended the first Job Corps in the U.S. registered as a High School to get an actual High School Diploma and a certificate in Automotive Mechanics. I also have worked on farms, in an Autobody shop, in prefabricated building components construction, Pest Control, in Commercial Printing roles as an Illustrator, Designer & Pre-press Technician, and, have been the Sole Proprietor of 3 visual information and computer repair and consulting businesses and also a Vinyl Siding, Decks and Roofing sideline hobby business, etc, to name a few.
As a civil Servant I have worked for the government as a GS-09 Audio Visual Production Specialist and a GS-10 Illustrator!
As a soldier in the military I started off as an Infantry Rifleman 11B, then 91A/B Combat Medic/NCO, then 3 years in a duty position of 18D SF Medic but not MOS-Q! Next I became a 96B40 Intelligence Analyst for the 278th ACR and at this time was also a dual status technician working as a GS-10 Illustrator so I pursued and was awarded the MOS of 25M Multimedia Illustrator from the military which I applied for but due to being an E-7 was actually awarded 25Z40 Visual Information Chief. I ended up going back on active duty this time with the Army National Guard (Active Guard & Reserve (AGR)) as a Marketing NCO and had to get qualified as an Army National Guard Recruiter first which is MOS 79T40 to serve in the support staff role as a Marketing NCO for the TNARNG Recruiting and Retention Command.
I ended up retiring from the United States Army Retired Reserve (USARR), with 10 years of Active Duty via actual years and accumulated active duty schooling days and 11 Years of Reserve Duty (Army National Guard) meaning I will not begin collecting a monthly retirement pension until after my 60th birthday!
I have an Associate Degree with a focus on Marketing and Sales and graduated Summa Cum Laude (with a 4.0 GPA) and, was working on my Baccalaureate degree in Digital Communications with a focus on Digital Media and a Minor in Art but due to my disabilities getting worse had to abandon the pursuit a couple classes shy of achieving the degree!
Sincerely, Ronald L. Blake
& Chance
