Making a Career Change Late in Life
A Journey of Resilience and Reinvention I can honestly say that the Lord has blessed me with a good life. I have been places and held careers that 17-year-old Mark never would have imagined. Being very honest, I didn’t have much ambition or confidence that I would amount to anything. You see, I was a high school dropout, and the path before me was pretty bleak. With not much happening in my life here in Bay City, MI, I decided to join the US Army Infantry to find some sort of purpose or independence. I turned 17 on December 1, 1983, and was on a bus headed to Ft. Benning, GA, on February 14, 1984. Those early years in the Army were a whirlwind. I got to see so much of the country during this time. I was stationed in Ft. Lewis, WA, Camp Kitty Hawk later named Camp Bonifas at Pan Mun Jom (UNC-JSA) South Korea, Ft. Carson, CO, and Ft. Polk, LA. It was during my stay in Ft. Lewis that I received my GED. I had a 1st Sgt who said that if I wanted to accomplish anything in the Army or in ...