A Bio for the Board Election

If you were asked to write an auto-biography on one page, what would you say? I suppose it would depend on who you thought the audience would be. Here is one I wrote for a condo board election coming up soon.

David May

I am the former Social Service Director for Ramsey County. As such, I. oversaw a team who broke all records for the numbers of foster children who were placed in adoptive homes. I then became the District Administrator for the Florida Department of Children and Families in West Palm Beach and broke the same records in that district.

Charlene and I moved into Lexington-Riverside in August 2012 and immediately moved to Port au Prince, Haiti, to host a guest house for medical mission teams for two years. We came home here in 2014 and have been here for six years. We were raised in Memphis and are delighted to be back on the Mississippi River.

We love Lexington-Riverside. When Charlene and I came here we determined to help the residence become more of a community, to be more like a neighborhood of friendly neighbors. Whether elected or not, we will continue that effort. 

I put out the monthly newsletter, “Down by the Riverside.” Charlene agreed to chair the Social Committee and I make most of the flyers and help them balance the books. I co-chaired the Water Committee for a while and opened it to everyone interested. I sat on the Amenities Committee for as long as it lasted and am a member of the Recycling Committee. I was a board member here for one year.

I was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, with time in Viet Nam during the war. I served as an elder in two churches, one in Florida and one in Minnesota. I am the author of five books, and Charlene has published one as well. All our writings are aimed at encouraging others to help anyone they encounter who could benefit from their assistance.

If I am elected to the board, I will approach each issue seriously, keeping a watch on the budget, the short-term need, the long-term benefit and the effect on property values. Thank you for the opportunity to stand for election.

USMC

USMC

Quilt Part Six

Almost every time I write a resume, or a bio, I start off with the fact that I was a Marine Corps Captain with time in Viet Nam. That overshadows all the rest of my story. But I do know some former Marines, some Viet Nam vets, or both who let that fact become who they are. It has become their whole identify.

There is a bar on the East side that mid-afternoon, every afternoon, has a large pick up truck sitting outside with a Viet Nam vet sticker on the back. I want to meet the guy and probably will at some point. I am guessing that is who he is. Though I do have Viet Nam vet license plates on our van, there is a balance that needs to be maintained. If you get stuck in the past – who you were – it can keep you from moving on to who you want to become.

There is a ritual to two Viet Nam vets meeting. They are recognized by the ball caps, or less often the jackets. The one not self-labeled will identify himself. It may be in a grocery store or a restaurant, but he will make himself known to his brother in the ball cap. Then they will compare parts of the country where they were, what parts of the service they were in and the years they were there. There will be a brief reference to major battles and perhaps to the lingering effects of any injuries. If both were Marines the Marine Corps slogan “Semper Fi” will be exchanged, then as they part company each will say to the other “Welcome home.” That’s a recognition that during the Viet Nam war, service men were often not welcomed home. They were instead shouted at and ridiculed.

After they pulled me out of Viet Nam, they put me in a paper pushing job on an air base. It was part of the routine, established to ensure that all new officers got a balanced set of experiences, but I told them that if they had left me in the dirt and grease, I might have stayed in. I am glad I had that time in the Corps, but I am glad I got out when I did. Semper Fi.