Trae, please tell us about your military background
I enlisted in the National Guard in September 1999 and joined the First Battalion 160th Field Artillery and spent
twelve years with that unit. I attained the rank of Staff Sergeant before I was accepted into the Warrant Officer program, which I completed in September of 2014. During my career, we had one tour operation in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and after 9/11, our unit completed Operation Noble Eagle to shore up the defense for homeland security at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Jefferson County, Arkansas. After twelve years with my unit, I transitioned to a civilian career while I maintained my role as a National Guardsman. I recently retired in September 2020 as an Army Warrant Officer in the National Guard.