I am a retired Navy Veteran, I served as FMF Corpsman for 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines, Kaneohe, Hawaii. During the initial years of my military service, I served as a Hospital Corpsman at National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland. I was part of the first responder team to render aid during the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon, followed by ground zero in NY City days following the attack.
The horrors of the 9/11 attacks marked the turning point of my early adult life. It opened my eyes to the fragility of life itself and how, in an instance, the things that we hold dear can disappear at a moments notice.
Gil Festin 