My Never Quit story starts with my Grandfather. He was a WWII vet and Purple Heart recipient who taught me more than any other human on the planet. When things got tough for me, he would all ways tell me to “Call Percy.” The first time I heard him say this, I didn’t know what he meant. He explained it with three simple words….”Persevere. Never Quit.”

I thought life was tough when I would struggle in Algebra in school. He would tell me again…”Call Percy.” Then he would show up and take me fishing, only I would find out after we got to the lake that he had gone and brought all of my school textbooks and this fishing trip would be a lesson for me. Not only in Algebra, but in life. I learned to persevere. As I got through high school, I felt a calling to serve my community. I attended Sam Houston State University for a short stent, then enrolled in the East Texas Police Academy in Kilgore, Tx. Perseverance would play a vital role in my life early in my law enforcement career.

In April of 2000, after only about 6 months on the police force, I got the call I hoped that I would never have to get as a police officer. “Shots Fired…Officer down.” I responded to the scene to find one officer fatally wounded and another bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound. I knew both officers personally and both had been mentors to me early in my career, even though they worked for a different agency. I did as any officer would do, I helped secure the scene and provide aid to the injured officer until the ambulance arrived. He survived and continued his law enforcement career.

I was at a crossroads. I could let fear overtake me and quit, or I could bust my butt and continue and make a difference. I chose the latter. I continued what would become a great law enforcement career in a mid-sized city. I worked patrol, SWAT, Hostage Negotiations, and as a detective in every division. I left full-time law enforcement and went into the oil and gas industry and am now in upper-level management. I still continue to serve my community as a police officer part-time because that is who I am. I still “Call Percy” every time things get tough. Thank you guys for spreading the Never Quit message and thank you all for your service to our great country.