FAITH, FAMILY & FISHING
This title shares the priorities of my life. I absolutely place my faith and belief in the God of the Bible above anything else! You will notice that in most of my videos I reference my love and adoration for the Creator of the universe, God Almighty. This website and other social media platforms are a way for me to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as I can. The one thing that matters most to me is bringing people into a lasting relationship with God the Father through Jesus our Lord and empowered by the Holy Spirit (yes, the Trinity).
So, about me. I’m originally from Martinsburg, WV, which is in the eastern part of the state close to Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. I grew up in a close-nit and loving family. My father taught me about the outdoors at a very early age. I’ve been fishing as long as I can remember and hunting since the age of eight. My dad ensured that my siblings and I could “live off land” if it came down to it. From elementary through high school our family vacations were filled with outdoor adventures to places like Assateague Island, Chesapeake Bay and Luray Caverns just to name a few.
Growing up as an outdoorsman made the decision to join the military pretty easy. Shortly after high school I was shipped off to Fort Benning, GA to start the long journey of an Infantry Soldier. At the age of 17, I found out quickly that the Army was nothing like the movies, there was real pain involved. Those 13 weeks on OSUT (One Station Unit Training) in Harmony Church were the toughest days I thought I would ever have, boy was I wrong.
Over the next 21 years I experienced many more tough days in two Pre-Ranger schools, Jump Master school and Ranger school as well as two combat tours to Afghanistan (2003) and Iraq (2004). These tough days were overshadowed by the vast numbers of fun experiences while being in places like Hawaii, Egypt, Panama and other various places within the US. During my career as an infantryman, I held every position from a Rifleman, to an Airborne Platoon Sergeant. As a platoon sergeant, I had the distinct pleasure of leading some of the greatest warriors into combat where we were able to destroy, capture and subdue many terrorist combatives that tried to bring harm to our great American culture. Many of the men that I fought with and trained went on to have successful careers themselves as Rangers, Special Forces and Delta Force operators.
During my second stop at Fort Benning in 2000 I found a passion for bass fishing and was groomed by a great friend, Tony Toliver, into a pretty decent tournament fisherman. That passion had to be put on the back burner though when I moved to Fort Bragg, NC for the next several years of my career. As I was winding down my career, God orchestrated my final job to be in Tampa, Florida at the University of South Florida’s Army ROTC program. This was not only a great retirement position, it set me up to meet some of the greatest people on the planet. Not only did I get a chance to work with some amazing people at USF and train some of the Army’s outstanding officers, I was able to meet what would turn into my church family. Being introduced to Glory to Glory Ministries and Bishop Aubrey Shines was a hugely significant point in my life. In this church, I was introduced to God in a fresh new way and on December 16, 2005 I turned my life over to Christ!
Now that my military career was winding down, I found a local BASS club and started tournament fishing again. The fire was reignited! I quickly because a serious competitive fisherman and wanted to give the pro trail a try, but something happened. God began to show me that He had other plans for me, to be a Godly husband and father. I gladly shifted and have never regretted obeying Christ one bit. Now that all of my children are grown, I’m able to spend time fishing again (in moderation). I wanted a way to fish without being bound to the land. So in the summer 2019, I purchased my first kayak, a Pelican Catch 130HD, and the Kayak Warrior was born. The name “The Kayak Warrior” signifies that I am a Soldier for Christ, as well as the Army, and I can fight out of a kayak (fight fish anyway). I’m also a Warrior for my family! I’m a dedicated husband to my beautiful wife, Ebony, a father to six amazing children, a grand father to two beautiful girls and a God-father to seven wonderful young girls & boys. Hopefully you enjoy the content that I provide on my YouTube channel and other social media platforms. Remember God loves you, may He bless you and keep you!
