First thing you need to know is that my whole life has been about service. Service to country, service to my community, and service to God’s people. As a teen I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and later held various leadership positions at the Air Force Academy. After graduation, I went straight to pilot training and became a military fighter pilot in the A-10 and the F-16; and flew for decades as a test pilot after graduation from the USAF Test Pilot School.
I’ve been a resident of Northern Utah for nearly thirteen years total, since the military first sent me and family to Hill AFB to be a Squadron Commander. That, my friends, was a very political position that taught me a lot about boardroom combat tactics.
I’ve always been able to make the tough calls, and my first priority has always been to stand up for the people I serve. A thirty-one year career in the military teaches you a lot about how to do that.
I stand by first principles—specifically biblical values—the ones that united our founders to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to defend our freedoms and our country against all enemies foreign and domestic. My positions are in alignment with the Republican Party platform; but you’ll see that I have many opinions on other issues as well. And in the absence of specific guidance anywhere else, I’ll follow the simple advice of a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force while I was stationed at the Pentagon: “Do the right thing!”
