I was a Law Enforcement Park Ranger with the National Park Service.
As a child, my family and I visited many National Parks during my summers
growing up, but I could only dream that someday I’d be working and living
in a National Park. That dream became a reality in 1990 and I found
myself working in beautiful mountain parks, an amazing subtropical park
and finally ending my career 27 years later at an urban oasis in the San
Francisco Bay Area.

As a Ranger, I experienced moments of humor and moments of
heartbreak. I was struck by lightning twice, faced off against a bear and an
alligator, and suffered numerous assaults in the line of duty. My injuries on
the job landed me in the hospital over 20 times, and I had to keep fighting
to put myself back together and return to duty. The toughest battle I fought,
for ten years, was with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In my book, Echoes of the Badge, I will bring you along on my journey as a
ranger. You’ll gain a candid view of a life that tackled every challenge it
encountered. The book will have stories of success and stories of failure
and near defeat, but through it all I kept trying to make a difference in the
world.

I’ll also share what happened after I retired from the National Park Service,
and how a transition to the life as an elected official brought with it more
challenges to confront.