BIOGRAPHY 

Dave’s father was a poor farm boy from east Texas. None of his family had ever graduated from college, but he managed an amazing feat, getting accepted to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. A few months after he graduated, President Kennedy signed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1962 which provided "...military assistance to countries which are on the rim of the Communist world and under direct attack." He married his college sweetheart and immediately took her to live in the Philippines. That’s where Dave was born, Subic Bay Naval Hospital during the height of the Vietnam War.

Being a Navy junior, Dave moved every two to three years until he reached Charleston, S.C., where he graduated from a public high school. He followed his Father’s footsteps, earned a Naval ROTC scholarship and was commissioned in the United States Navy. He then went to flight school at Pensacola, Florida where he earned his “Wings of Gold”. He married his high school sweetheart, the ravishing Miss Theresa Johnson, and just like his father, immediately took her to live in a foreign country - only this time he went east instead of west and had a wonderful time in Sicily, Italy. He’s been happily married for eighteen years.

Theresa and Dave had a great time in Europe, visiting Germany, England, Spain, etc. The first action he saw was during the Civil War in Lebanon. Next he spent almost half a year of his life in east Africa during the Liberian Civil War. He was in Africa when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Most of his squadron pulled out of Africa and flew to the Persian Gulf where he fought in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. When that started winding down, he flew the very first mission into northern Iraq in support of the Kurds in Operation Provide Comfort.

When his sea tour was over, he received his first choice assignment and returned to Pensacola to be a flight instructor. While there he became the TRARON TWO Instructor of the Year and a Chief of Naval Education Master Training Specialist.  

In the “peace-dividend” years of the Clinton era, he transferred to the Air Force Reserves where he flew the C-17 Globemaster III at Charleston AFB. While there he flew into Sarejevo during the Bosnia – Herzegovina conflict, landing between several burned out wrecks snipers had taken out. He was then hired at Delta Air Lines as a pilot. He’s now flying Boeing 767 International with Delta while serving in the Air Force Reserves as a major. 

Being a pilot, Dave can commute to work and live literally anywhere. But he chose to live in Morgan County, a testament to what a wonderful place this is. He’s now lived in Buckhead longer than he’s lived anywhere in his life. He’s been here almost eight years. 

Dave has flown fourteen different aircraft in his aviation career. Here’s a short list: 
• T-34C  TurboMentor
• H-57 Jet Ranger
• CH-53E Super Stallion
• MH-53E Sea Stallion
• Piper Seminole
• T-1 Jayhawk
• T-37 Tweet
• C-17 Globemaster
• Boeing 727
• MD-88
• Boeing 757
• Boeing 767-200
• Boeing 767-300
• Boeing 767-ER