Born and raised on a ranch in West Texas, graduated from the Air Force Academy with honors and became a fighter pilot. He completed many successful combat missions in multiple theaters. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, his wife passed away. Leaving him with a daughter to raise on his own. He knew things had to change. So, even with enjoying flying as much as he did, he found a home in the Intelligence agencies. It wasn’t long and after making rounds working in the J2s of the Air Force Major Commands he was moving up the Chain of Command at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and finally the Pentagon.
The death of his daughter devastated him and overcome with grief, he turned in his retirement papers. But after a few years, he knew she would not want him mourning her like this, and accepted a position at CIA as the Executive Director.